Balangir girl Urmila Bharasagaria saved the blushes for Odisha by winning the one and only medal for the State in the 21st National Youth (U-18) Athletics Championships, which was organized by Punjab Athletics Association, under the aegis of Athletics Federation of India at Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana from 1 to 3 September 2026.

Urmila won the bronze in girls heptathlon with a total of 4156 points. Her performance saved Odisha from drawing a complete blank in the three-day championships. With this bronze, Odisha claimed the last position among 17 medal winning states.

Haryana secured the top position in the medal tally with a goal of 14 medals (4 gold, 7 silver, 3 bronze), while Maharashtra claimed the second spot with eight medals (3 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze).

PERFORMANCE OF ODISHA ATHLETES:

Girls: Urmila Bharasagaria (bronze in heptathlon), Diptimayee Das (6th in 100m hurdles), Ananya Khandayataray (12th in high jump), Subhadra Jerai (7th in javelin throw), Alokika Swain (9th in javelin throw), Reet Barik (19th in 3000m race walk).

Boys: Ayushman Mahapatra (4th in 100m), Swadhin Behera (11th in high jump), Satyaranjan Nayak (10th in javelin throw).
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PHOTO: Odisha girl Urmila Bharasagaria poses after winning heptathlon bronze medal at the 21st National Youth (U-18) Athletics Championships in Ludhiana on 3 September 2026.