4th South Asian Junior Athletics Championship concludes, India at Top

The 4th South Asian Junior Athletics Championships was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, from 11-13 September 2024.

The first South Asian Junior Athletics Championships was held in Sri Lanka in November  2007. The second edition was held in Ranchi in November 2013, and the third was held in May 2018 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. 

On the final day of the championship, the  Indian contingent dominated the middle-distance races and throwing events, while Sri Lankan athletes shone in the sprint events.

In the men’s 4x100-meter relay race, the Sri Lankan team won the gold, and the Indian team had to settle for the silver medal. 

However, in the women’s 4x100-meter relay race, the Indian women's team comfortably won the race, with the Sri Lankan team coming second.

4th South Asian Junior Athletics Championships Participants 

All seven countries of the South Asian Athletics Federation (SAFF) -India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal—participated in the 4th South Asian Junior Athletics Championships.

India competed with the largest contingent of 62 athletes, followed by Sri Lanka with 54, Bangladesh with 16, Maldives with 15, Pakistan with 12, Nepal with 9 and Bhutan with 5 athletes.

Final Medal Tally 

India led the Medal tally by winning 48 medals- 21 gold,22 silver and 5 bronze.

The Sri Lanka team, which gave a tough fight to the Indians, came second with 35 medals—9 gold,9 silver, and 17 bronze.

Bangladesh came third with three bronze medals.

Pakistan and Bhutan failed to win a single medal at the event.