10 Brightest Prospects in Indian Athletics

KT Irfan

There are many immensely talented young athletes in India. Though we still has a long way to go in the world of athletics, there’s no doubt that we have the capability and talent to be amongst the front-runners in the medals tally in major athletics events around the world. If these prodigious talents are given proper guidance and training, then they are bound to bring laurels to the country and make the country proud at world stage.Let us now have a look at 10 of the brightest prospects in Indian athletics, athletes who have it in them to make India a powerhouse of athletics in the near future.

#10 KT Irfan - 20 km Walk

KT Irfan

KT Irfan is a young athlete from the state of Kerala. He qualified for the London Olympics 2012 in the 20 km walk event and came 10th, setting a national record in the process. In March 2013, he participated in the IAAF 20 km Race Walk Challenge held in China and finished 5th. He has also participated in major athletics competitions around the world like the World Athletics Championship in 2013, held in Moscow.

Being a specialist in the 20 km walk event, this 25-year-old has a long way to go in his tiring event that needs a lot of determination and stamina from the athletes. Many great things can be expected from this youngster who has been working hard to hone his skills and improve himself with each passing day.

#9 Sharwan Kharb- 10,000m Walk

Sharwan Kharb

Sharwan Kharb is a hardworking and emerging athlete in the 10,000m event and has represented India globally in various competitions. He came second and clinched the silver medal in the 10,000m run on the second day of the 16th Asian Junior Athletics Championships held in Taipei in 2014. Sharwan has been training really hard right from the start, and he is expected to continue showing his amazing grit and determination in the track, and bring more laurels to the country.

#8 Meghna Shetty - 100m Hurdles

Meghna Shetty

Anjana Thamke, just 17 years old, represents India in the 400m, 800, and 1500m internationally. She has already notched up many records in her preferred events in the U-17 category. She was adjudged the ‘Best Athlete’ in the National Junior Athletics Championships in 2012. She also won three gold medals at the 24th All India Track and Field Juniors Tournament in 2012.

She won a gold at the 2013 Asian Youth Games in the 800m category held in Nanjing. She also won two gold medals at the Asian School Meet in Malaysia in the 800m and 4x400m category. She is one of India's hopefuls for the Olympics, and she is sure to give her best in the event.

#7 Anjana Thamke - 400m/800m

Anjana Thamke

Anjana Thamke, just 17 years old, represents India in the 400m, 800, and 1500m internationally. She has already notched up many records in her preferred events in the U-17 category. She was adjudged the ‘Best Athlete’ in the National Junior Athletics Championships in 2012. She also won three gold medals at the 24th All India Track and Field Juniors Tournament in 2012.

She won a gold at the 2013 Asian Youth Games in the 800m category held in Nanjing. She also won two gold medals at the Asian School Meet in Malaysia in the 800m and 4x400m category. She is one of India's hopefuls for the Olympics, and she is sure to give her best in the event.

#6 Tintu Lukka - 400m/800m

Tintu Lukka

Tintu Lukka is an Indian athlete who specializes in the 400m/800m category. She holds the national record in the 800m event for women in our country. She is coached by world famous athlete PT Usha. Tintu first came into limelight by winning a silver medal in the 800m category at the Asian Junior Athletics Championship in 2008. She also clinched the bronze medal in the same category at Asian Games 2010.

In 2014, she came second and won the silver medal in the 800m sprint event at the Asian Games held in South Korea. She was also a member of the team that won the gold medal in the 4x400m Relay category. Being trained by the greatest female athlete to come out of our country, Tintu is meant for great things, and she will continue to make the country proud at various international events.

#5 Khushbir Kaur - 20 km walk

Khushbir Kaur

Khushbir Kaur is a young 20 km racewalker hailing from Punjab. She came into limelight after clinching the bronze in the 10,000m walk race at the 2012 Asian Junior Athletics Championships held in Sri Lanka. She also participated in the 2013 World Championships in the 20km race walk category and finished 39th. At the 2014 Asian Walking Championships, she finished third and also bettered her own national record in the process.

She is the first Indian woman to clinch a sliver medal in the 20 km walk race in the 2014 Asian Games. This young talented athlete will bring more laurels to the country, and a lot more can be expected from her in the future.

#4 Dutee Chand - 100m/200m

Dutee Chand

Dutee Chand is a professional sprinter hailing from Odisha who represents India in sprint events, and mainly focuses of the 100m and 200m events. She is the current national champion in the women’s 100m event. She became a national champion in the 100m event in 2012 by clocking 11.8 seconds in the U-18 category to clinch the gold.

She also came second and won the silver medal in the 200m event at the Asian Championships in Pune in 2013. She also became the first Indian to reach the final of a global athletics 100m finals, by reaching the final of the 100m event at the 2013 World Youth Championships. In the very same year, she became the national champion in 100m and 200m event.

With a lot of controversy surrounding her, there are hopes of a comeback from this amazing young talent in the near future.

#3 Arpinder Singh - Triple Jump

Arpinder Singh

Arpinder Singh is a young athlete who participates in the triple jump event in various competitions and tournaments around the globe and is the current national record holder in the triple jump. He created the new record in June 2014, by jumping 17.17m and beating his previous mark of 16.84m at the 2014 National Inter-State Championships.

This young prodigy also won a bronze medal in the triple jump event by finishing third at the Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow in 2014. He is one of India biggests hopes for 2016 Rio Olympics and will be hoping to win a medal for India in Brazil, next year.

#2 Navjeet Kaur Dhillon - Discuss Throw/Shot Put

Navjeet Kaur Dhillon

Navjeet Kaur Dhillon is a rising star in the world of Indian athletics. She became only the second Indian this year to win a medal at the IAAF World Junior Championships last yaear, after clinching the bronze in the discus throw event with a throw of 56.36m, two and a half meters more than her personal best.

She had also won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games in the discuss throw event held at Douglas (Isle of Man). She also won the silver at the 2014 Asian Junior Championship in the discuss throw event, in addition to a bronze in the shot put event. This youngster is a front runner for a podium finish at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and a lot of hopes are riding on her.

#1 Kisan Tadvi - 3000 m

Kisan Tadvi

This Nasik based runner who excels in the 3000 m falt race event has been making the country proud in numerous athletics events around the world. He developed an interest in running when he used to work at his parents’ farm and chase the animals to catch them.

Most recently he has won the gold at the inaugural Asian Youth Athletics Championships in Doha this year. He raced towards his first gold medal, 11 seconds faster than his closest challenger. He also clinched the silver medal at the 2014 Youth Olympics Asian Area Athletics in China. He is one of India’s brightest prospects in athletics, and a lot of expectations and hopes are riding on him to emulate his performace at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

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Edited by Staff Editor