16 Yr Old Beant Singh clinches 800m Gold, Setting a National Record in the Asian Youth Athletics!

Young Delhi runner Beant Singh won a gold each in boy’s 800m as India bagged three medals on the second day of the Asian Youth Athletics Championships here.

16-year-old Singh was in a class of his own in the two-lap event and strode to a comfortable victory, clocking 1.52.26, among fastest times in the world this year in the youth category. He ran an excellent 54 sec first lap and won the race with a big lead from start to finish at the Qatar Sports Club stadium.

He ran an excellent 54 sec first lap and won the race with a big lead from start to finish at the Qatar Sports Club stadium.
An ecstatic Singh revealed that wrestling was his initial love and he switched to athletics just a few years ago.

“I was feeling really good for this race and I have been preparing really well for this competition, so to win is a great satisfaction,” he said.

“I have only been in athletics for a short time, two or three years. I was a wrestler before and I was picked for a national team camp by Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar. It was at this moment that I noticed I had a talent for middle distance running and I was encouraged to switch to athletics. Sushil remains a very big inspiration for me,” he added.

Beant had won a silver in the National Open Athletics Championships last year at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, his first senior national medal, in 800m with a time of 1:51:08 which was a new national record in the youth category.

“Next stop for me is the IAAF World Youth Championships in Cali. I have set big expectations. I want to beat the Indian national record there. I know I can run under 1:50. I have done it in training and I aim to run it at the championships,” he said.

Source- HindustanTimes

Kudos to the upcoming Milkha Singh!