Khelo India Youth Games 2020: S Saran's bags gold medal in Boys Under-21 Long Jump

What's the story?

Tamil Nadu's S Saran clinched the gold medal in the Boys Under-21 Long Jump event with a massive leap of 7.41m.

The background

Multiple track and field events were scheduled at the Khelo India Youth Games 2020 on January 13th. One of them was the Boys Under-21 Long jump, in which each athlete has six attempts and the best legitimate one is taken into consideration for deciding the winner.

The sporting extravaganza is scheduled for 9th to 22nd January this year. In a bid to encourage young children to take up sports and prepare them for international sporting events, KIYG will offer 1000 youth a scholarship of ₹5,00,000 for eight years.

Also Get: Updated Khelo India Youth Games 2020 Medal Tally

The heart of the matter

After five jumps, Saran was in the Bronze medal position. Bhupender Singh of Haryana was in Gold medal position with a 7.30m jump while Kerala's R Sajan was in the Silver medal as he had made a leap of 7.29m in his 4th attempt.

The young Saran did not lose hope and stunningly turned the tables in his 6th and final jump - which was a massive 7.41m - and clinched the gold medal. It was an absolutely sensational finish to the exciting event. As a result, Bhupender won Silver while Sajan, who made a fault in his final attempt, had to settle for Bronze.

Earlier, Saran had made faults in his first and fifth jumps. later, a delighted Saran explained after winning the medal. He said,

"I was a bit rusty to start off, but I managed a decent 7.11m in my second jump. But then, I lost my rhythm and struggled in the next four rounds. As I prepared for my last jump, I somehow could only think of the gold medal. I calmed myself down and executed the jump to perfection. I am really happy to have won for my state."

The lanky jumper knew what he was up against as Bhupender had made a 7.30m jump in his second attempt itself. Saran, who has a personal best of 7.50m, knew that this was within his reach and he gave it his all in the final jump.

The youngster draws inspiration from nine-time Olympics gold winner Carl Lewis and considers him his role model. Watching Carl's videos inspired Saran to pick up the sport.

What's next?

The young Saran from Tamil Nadu has set a high benchmark for himself with his stunning gold medal at KIYG 2020. His next aim would be to vie for a top finish in every competition he participates in and also to improve upon his personal best. A gold at the Senior Nationals would be on his bucket list.