The Media Times
India’s rising high jump star, Pooja Singh, has captured national attention with her gold medal victory at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea. At just 18 years old, Pooja cleared a personal best of 1.89 meters, securing the top podium spot and becoming only the second Indian woman to win a high jump medal at this prestigious event .
Hailing from Bosti village in Haryana’s Fatehabad district, Pooja’s journey is a testament to talent and resilience. Discovered by coach Balwan Singh Patra during a yoga session, she transitioned from gymnastics to high jump, training under modest conditions without proper equipment .
Her ascent in athletics has been marked by consistent progress:
In 2022, she clinched gold at the Junior Nationals with a national record of 1.76m.
She secured gold at the 2023 Asian U18 Championships and silver at the Asian U20 Championships.
In 2024, she set a new U20 national record of 1.83m at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima.
Later that year, she improved her record to 1.85m during the U18 heptathlon at the National Junior Championships in Bhubaneswar .
Pooja’s recent triumph at the Asian Championships not only adds to India’s medal tally but also positions her as a promising contender for future international competitions. With the national record of 1.92m set by Sahana Kumari in 2012 still standing, Pooja’s trajectory suggests she may soon challenge this benchmark.
