The Indian squad for the World Athletics U20 Championships, scheduled from August 5 to 9 in Eugene, USA, will be selected on the basis of performances across three domestic competitions, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) announced on Friday.
Revealing the selection criteria, the AFI confirmed that the Indian Athletics Series 9 in Ludhiana (June 13) and the 10th leg in Thiruvananthapuram (June 14) will serve as key qualification events.
In Ludhiana, athletes will compete in middle and long-distance track events along with throws, including 1500m, 3000m, 5000m, 3000m steeplechase, shot put, discus throw, hammer throw, and javelin throw.
The Thiruvananthapuram leg will feature sprint and field events such as 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 100m hurdles, 110m hurdles, 400m hurdles, high jump, pole vault, long jump, and triple jump.
Meanwhile, the ongoing 24th National Junior Federation Championships in Tumkur will primarily serve as a selection platform for decathlon, heptathlon, and race walking events.
The AFI clarified that only one athlete per event will be automatically considered for selection based on performance, except in relays. The second entry, if any, will be at the discretion of the selection committee.
Performances at the 22nd Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong (May 28–31) may also be considered, provided athletes compete in the final trials and maintain form.
To ensure global competitiveness, the AFI has set qualification standards across events for both men and women.
In the men’s category, standards include 10.51 seconds in 100m, 21.51 in 200m, 47.11 in 400m, 1:50.55 in 800m, 3:44.54 in 1500m, 13:56.95 in 5000m, 13.56.95 in 110m hurdles, 51.61 in 400m hurdles, 8:39.79 in 3000m steeplechase, 2.08m in high jump, 5.05m in pole vault, 7.56m in long jump, 15.60m in triple jump, 19.17m in shot put, 59.72m in discus throw, 68.73m in hammer throw, and 68.98m in javelin throw. Combined event and relay standards have also been defined.
For women, the benchmarks include 11.64 seconds in 100m, 23.40 in 200m, 53.09 in 400m, 2:09.36 in 800m, 4:21.05 in 1500m, 9:06.92 in 3000m, 16:14.34 in 5000m, 13.53 in 100m hurdles, 59.23 in 400m hurdles, 9:52.84 in 3000m steeplechase, 1.80m in high jump, 4.05m in pole vault, 6.09m in long jump, 13.11m in triple jump, 14.95m in shot put, 51.43m in discus throw, 62.51m in hammer throw, and 49.61m in javelin throw, along with standards for combined events and relays.
The AFI stated that the selection process aims to ensure consistency, competitiveness, and readiness ahead of the global championship in Eugene.