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What's the story?
History was scripted after India's Damneet Singh won the country's first ever medal at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World U18 Championships. Participating in the boys hammer throw (5 kg) event, Damneet picked up the silver medal as he threw a personal best of 74.20m to clinch his as well as India's first medal at this level.
Finishing in first place with a huge lead was Ukraine's Kokhan Mykhaylo, who produced a mammoth throw of 82.31m. The bronze was won by German Raphael Winklevoss with an effort of 71.78m.
There was another Indian in the reckoning as well, in the form of Nitesh Poonia, who managed a 10th place finish. He produced a best effort of 65.79m, with his other throws being 65.78m and 61.68m.
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In case you didn't know
The 2017 IAAF World U18 Championships are being held in Nairobi, Kenya. India have sent a contingent of 19 athletes to the event, two of which took part in the boys hammer throw.
The heart of the matter
It was a spectacular effort by Damneet Singh as he bettered his personal best at the World Championships. Prior to that, his personal best stood at 72.75m, which he had made earlier this year In Hyderabad at the National Youth Athletics Championships.
The 16-year-old, who hails from Barnala in Punjab, broke his personal best in his very first throw. His next three efforts were 73.95m, 68.78m and 72.84m. After a foul throw in his penultimate attempt, the youngster finished off a throw of 72.83m.
Another Indian who was a possible medal contender at the event was Abhay Gupta, who competed in the boys discus throw event. He qualified for the final held on Saturday, where he finished in eighth place eventually. His effort of 57.04m was far short of his personal best, which stands at 58.80m and would have been enough to win him the bronze in Nairobi.
What's next?
The fifth and final day of the competition remains and will feature a total of 10 events.
Author's take
It is quite a memorable moment for Indian athletics and an achievement that bodes well for the future. Indian athletics is showing an upward trend with a strong recent showing in the Asian Athletics Championships and such an achievement is another great victory for fans to cheer for.
Related: Is India's performance at the Asian Athletic Championships really something to go gaga about?
