Hong Kong: In a defining moment for Indian athletics, 19-year-old high jumper Pooja Singh scripted history by breaking the senior national record en route to winning gold at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships 2026 in Hong Kong on Friday.
Competing at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground, Pooja cleared 1.93m on her very first attempt, surpassing the long-standing national mark of 1.92m set by Sahana Kumari in 2012. The scale of the achievement was underscored by the fact that the previous record holder is present at the venue as part of the Indian coaching setup, proud of Pooja’s achievement.
AND POOJA CREATES HISTORY BY BREAKING 14 YEAR OLD NATIONAL RECORD! 🤯💥
India's Pooja Singh cleared 1.93m & won the Gold Medal for India at Asian U20 Athletics C'ship 🏅
She also breached the CWG Qualification Mark
THIS IS SO HUGE FOLKS! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/87Od5vm1PI pic.twitter.com/8VCRZtfRvt
— The Khel India (@TheKhelIndia) May 29, 2026
A jump that changed the record books
Pooja’s leap did more than fetch gold. It established a new championship record, going past the earlier mark of 1.90m that had stood since 2006. It also comfortably breached the qualifying standard for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
She was in control throughout the competition. After clearing 1.91m with ease, she approached 1.93m with quiet confidence and executed it flawlessly on her first try, a mark of both technical precision and mental composure.
🚨 POOJA JUST BROKE U20 NATIONAL RECORD!
– India's Pooja has sealed the Gold Medal with 1.91m High Jump at Asian U20 C'ship 🏅🔥
Just 0.02m short of breaking the National Record too, Can Pooja do the incredible??? pic.twitter.com/HVNPq4eTa7
— The Khel India (@TheKhelIndia) May 29, 2026
China’s Meiqi Chen finished a distant second with 1.80m, while athletes from Chinese Taipei and Sri Lanka shared bronze at 1.72m.
The moment it all sank in.
What followed the winning jump revealed the human side of the achievement.
As she landed and looked back at the bar still intact, the enormity of what she had achieved appeared to hit her all at once. Pooja dropped to the ground, kissed the track, hugged it tightly, and broke into tears. It was not just celebration. It was release, relief, and recognition of a journey that had demanded far more than what the final number suggested. She has made her country proud as the Indian national anthem played and Pooja stood draped proudly in the Tricolour.
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has congratulated the athlete’s impressive feat.
Soaring to new heights!
Stellar performance by TOPS athlete Pooja to win Gold at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships. Her 1.93m jump breaks the National Record. Wishing her the best for a bright future! pic.twitter.com/xYTkAzYk5D
— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) May 29, 2026
From injury setback to peak performance
That journey makes the performance even more compelling.
Earlier this year in January, Pooja had already signalled her return to form at the All India Inter-University Championships, clearing 1.85m to break her own meet record and win gold. At the time, the Athletics Federation of India had highlighted her comeback from a grade 2 ligament tear, describing it as nothing short of remarkable.
Recovering from such an injury in a discipline that places enormous stress on joints and take-off mechanics is no small feat. Yet, within months, she not only returned but began pushing her limits again.
A season of steady rise
The Hong Kong performance is the peak of a steady upward curve this season.
She had earlier won silver at the Asian Indoor Championships with a 1.87m effort, followed by a personal best of 1.90m at the Indian Athletics Series in New Delhi. She also cleared the World U20 qualifying standard more than once, indicating consistency rather than a one-off spike.
Her progress has been methodical. Each competition has seen incremental gains, suggesting a well-managed training cycle and growing confidence at higher bars.
Continuing a rare Indian legacy
Even before this breakthrough, Pooja had already entered the record books.
Last year, she became only the second Indian woman to win gold in the women’s high jump at the Asian Athletics Championships, joining a very short list in Indian track and field history. That performance came with a then personal best of 1.89m.
Now, with 1.93m, she has moved into a different bracket altogether.
A sign of what lies ahead
At 19, Pooja Singh’s latest performance is not just about one medal or one record. It signals the arrival of an athlete who is beginning to align talent, resilience, and timing.
Indian athletics has often searched for consistency in field events at the international level. Performances like this suggest that the gap may be narrowing.
For now, the image that lingers is not just of the bar at 1.93m, but of a young athlete on the track, overcome with emotion, fully aware that she has crossed a threshold that could define her career.
