Tamil Nadu sprinter Neil Samraj R broke the Indian men’s under-18 200-metre national record at the 41st National Junior Athletics Championships in Chennai on 27 October.

Samraj won the gold medal in 21.03 seconds at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, improving on the previous national record of 21.08 seconds set by Abhay Singh three years earlier. His performance also surpassed the championship record of 21.28 seconds held by Pratik Maharana.

The 200m victory followed another record-breaking performance in the under-18 100m event, where Samraj won gold in 10.45 seconds. The two victories made him the most successful sprinter in the men’s under-18 category at the championships.

Telangana’s Lodenge Ramu finished second in the 200m in 21.36 seconds, while Maharashtra’s Manas Shinde took third place in 21.48 seconds.

Samraj’s results contributed to Tamil Nadu’s overall performance at the championships. The state topped the team standings with 317.2 points, finishing ahead of Haryana, which scored 303 points.

The final day also saw other records and strong performances across the events. Tamil Nadu’s Bhavana G won the women’s under-20 200m in 23.82 seconds, setting a new championship record. Haryana’s Anshu established a meet record in the women’s under-20 shot put with a throw of 15.58 metres.

The championships provide a platform for junior athletes to compete nationally and establish benchmarks in their age groups. Samraj’s double record achievement places him among the leading young sprinters in Indian athletics.