Nagpur: Merely a month after making his debut for India, Nagpur sprinter Nayan Sarde brought laurels to the nation. Trained and groomed in Nagpur, the 20-year-old Nayan secured his first international medal in Chennai on Thursday. Despite a nervous start, Nayan clinched the silver medal in the 110m hurdles at the South Asian Athletics Federation (SAAF) Junior Championships.
Following the disqualification of his compatriot Hariharan for a false start, Nayan opted for a cautious approach and had a relatively slow beginning. He accelerated after the fourth hurdle and completed the 110m race in 14.14 seconds. Sri Lanka’s WP Sandun Koshala clinched the gold medal with a timing of 14.06.
The son of head constable Pradip and homemaker Sangita, Nayan, a protege of Samsher Khan, became the first Nagpur sprinter to represent India in the U-20 World Athletics Championships in Lima, Peru, last month.
“My journey as an athlete began at the age of 14. At that time, I used to run 400m. When I was selected for Nagpur’s Krida Prabodhini in 2019, my coach Samsher Khan transformed me into a sprinter and I started competing in the 110m hurdle race. Since then, I have won a total of six national medals and this is my first international medal. I hope to do well in the 2025 World University Games and aim to qualify for the World Championships in 2026,” Nayan said.
“My teammate Hariharan was disqualified after a false start. That distracted me and I could not start as I wanted, when the final re-started. But I am happy to win silver in my second international event,” a satisfied Sarde said.
Athletes from Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Pakistan are participating in the SAAF competition. Nayan recently represented India in the 110m hurdles at the World Junior Championships held in Lima, Peru. Despite a fast start in Lima, he was unable to clear the first round hurdle. But at Chennai, Nayan was determined to finish at the podium and gave a tough competition to his closest Sri Lankan rivals. He gave the credit of his success to his parents and coach Samsher Khan.
Deputy Director of Sports (Nagpur Division) Dr Shekhar Patil, Nagpur District Athletics Association Secretary Dr Sharad Suryawanshi and others congratulated Nayan for his remarkable feat.
