Pooja, India’s best junior high jumper, destroys competition in Inter-University athletics meet

For Pooja, taking the gold medal in the All India Inter-University meet in the high jump was a walk in the park. Not only did the 19-year-old crush the competition in the event, but she also broke the meet record.

On the final day of the meet at the Swaraj Maidan at Moodubidire in Karnataka, Pooja cleared an impressive 1.85 metres for gold. She had held the meet record in the event of 1.84 m, set in 2024. Pooja tried to break her personal best by going for 1.90 m, but was unsuccessful.

Still, the native of Fatehabad in Haryana, representing Lovely Professional University, was a class apart. Jonika Pahal of Chandigarh University finished a distant second with 1.72 m. Swarnim Gujarat Sports University's Jamod Payalben took bronze with a best of 1.72 m.

Pooja is one of the best young athletes in the country, whose progress has been remarkable. Last May, she ended India's 23-year wait for a medal in women's high jump at the Asian Athletics Championship. Pooja set a personal best of 1.89 m in Gumi, South Korea, for gold, which was just 3 cm short of Sahana Kumari's national record.

Before Pooja, the last time an Indian stood on the podium in women's high jump at Asian Athletics was in 2000. It was Kerala's Bobby Aloysius, who claimed gold with an effort of 1.83 m.

In 2025, Pooja's Asian Athletics performance was the sixth-best in the world. This year, as the international events are yet to begin, Pooja's 1.85 m in a national-level meet is still an early indication of her potential.