At 18, Parth Singh stands at a rare crossroads for Indian athletics a sprinter and jumper whose potential stretches across two of track and field’s most explosive events.
His recent performance at the 40th National Junior Athletics Championships (NJAC) in Bhubaneswar has not only redefined benchmarks for India’s U20 circuit but also offered a glimpse into the making of a global contender. Competing for Bhubaneshwar, Singh delivered a stunning double winning gold in both the men’s 100m sprint and the long jump, becoming the only athlete at the meet to top the podium in two power events. His 7.82m leap, a personal best and a new meet record, not only eclipsed the previous best of 7.79m set in 2019 but also comfortably cleared the World U20 qualifying mark of 7.58m, confirming his berth for the 2026 World U20 Championships in Oregon, USA.
It was a performance that placed Singh’s name alongside some of India’s finest jumpers even exceeding the old U20 benchmark of 7.72m, once held by Olympian M. Sreeshankar. But for Parth, the weekend in Bhubaneswar was also a story of near-perfection: his 100m sprint gold came in 10.52 seconds, just 0.01 seconds shy of the World U20 qualifying standard.
A Tale of Two Golds and One Hundredth of a Second
The sprint final at the Kalinga Stadium was electric. Singh had already clocked 10.51 seconds in the semifinal, his fastest-ever legal time, and went into the final as the favorite. He ran a composed race but stopped the clock at 10.52, narrowly missing the Oregon 2026 qualification cut. That fraction of a second, he later admitted, came down to fatigue. Just hours before competing, he had arrived in India after a 16-hour international journey from Chinese Taipei transiting through Bangkok and Delhi before reaching Bhubaneswar with minimal rest.
Still, the margin tells its own story. From his previous best of 10.68 seconds at the 2024 National Youth Championships, Singh had shaved off 0.16 seconds in a single year an improvement curve rarely seen at his age. The progression, especially under a demanding travel schedule, highlights the strength of his training environment in Taiwan and his exceptional adaptability under pressure.
That quiet confidence, backed by data, has drawn comparisons to some of the sport’s dual legends athletes like Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis, whose mastery of both sprinting and jumping became the gold standard of track and field versatility.
7.82 Metres — A Statement of Global Readiness
If the sprint was a near miss, the long jump was an emphatic statement. Singh opened strong in qualifying with a 7.43m leap on his first attempt, then soared to 7.82m in the final setting a new meet record and securing his World U20 qualification with room to spare.
That mark, beyond its domestic significance, is world-class for his age group. In 2024, only a handful of U20 athletes globally cleared beyond 7.80m. The result not only ensures Singh’s entry into Oregon 2026 but potentially places him in the conversation for a top-8 finish, with the global medal zone typically beginning around 8.00m. His jump, achieved under modest wind and in humid conditions, also underscored one of his biggest assets technical stability. Singh qualified for the final on his very first attempt, conserving energy, and executed his best mark in the middle of his series, showing control and rhythm under pressure.
Even more significant was the manner of his rebound. Having narrowly missed the 100m standard the previous day, Singh entered the long jump pit with visible intent. His ability to channel frustration into performance and deliver a meet record 24 hours later points to the kind of mental resilience that separates the promising from the exceptional. For all the glory, Parth Singh’s journey is also a lesson in risk management. Competing in both the 100m and long jump is rare at the elite level due to the conflicting physiological demands one requiring maximal neural firing and top-end speed, the other demanding controlled explosiveness and technical precision.
His current 10.51s speed is already elite enough to sustain an 8.00m-level approach velocity in the long jump. Yet, as his coach points out, to compete internationally as a senior, he will eventually need to push that sprint time closer to 10.30 seconds a mark that could unlock 8.10m+ potential in his jump. The key, then, lies in managing load and recovery. Three sprint rounds followed by repeated long jump efforts in consecutive days, as at the NJAC, pose high risks of muscle strain or tendon stress. Going forward, his 2026 preparation plan will need structured load rotation, injury prevention monitoring, and access to high-quality physiotherapy all of which require institutional support from the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).
From Taiwan to India: A Cross-Continental Journey
Parth’s story is unique in Indian athletics. Born in Jharkhand but raised in Taoyuan, Taiwan, he has trained at the National Taiwan University of Sport for over seven years under coach Yu Wen Long, whom he fondly calls “Coach Wen.” It was Coach Wen who introduced Parth to track and field and gifted him a black Tyson Gay T-shirt printed with the American sprinter’s progressive timing milestones from 10.27 to 9.69 seconds.
His base in Taiwan has given him access to superior facilities, recovery systems, and year-round competitive exposure, which have clearly shaped his technique and progression. Yet, the distance from India poses a logistical and financial challenge.
Parth’s recent journey to Bhubaneswar self-funded, exhausting, and multi-leg is a stark reminder of the gap between talent and support. Despite representing India, he currently lacks institutional funding or travel assistance. His performance, therefore, wasn’t just athletic excellence; it was a demonstration of resilience under strain.
He remains clear about his allegiance: “Chinese Taipei is my home, but India is my nation.” That conviction now demands reciprocity from India’s sporting system through structured financial aid, inclusion in TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme), and an official collaboration between Coach Wen and AFI’s High-Performance Unit to synchronize his training calendar and competition schedule.
Oregon 2026: The Next Big Test
With his qualification in place, Singh’s roadmap to the World U20 Championships in Oregon (2026) is straightforward: consistency, validation, and refinement. His immediate goal is to reproduce 7.85m+ jumps in legal wind conditions across multiple meets, ensuring both stability and global readiness. For the 100m, bridging that 0.01-second gap to the qualification mark remains an immediate task one likely achievable under rested, optimized conditions. The AFI’s validation of wind readings from the NJAC will be crucial; without official documentation under +2.0 m/s wind, the 7.82m mark cannot be internationally ratified.
Ensuring this verification, and subsequently managing his travel to minimize fatigue, will be vital to preserving his competitive trajectory.
Parth Singh’s long-term goal is the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, and his roadmap is already aligned to it. By 2028, he will be 21 an age at which most elite jumpers begin approaching their physical peak. To qualify for the Olympics, Singh will need to push his long jump beyond 8.15m and his 100m into the sub-10.10s range targets that demand a world-class performance system. This likely means transitioning, at least part-time, to a global high-performance training base where biomechanics, sports science, and recovery are integrated into daily practice.
Mentally, Singh appears equipped for that leap. His composure in competition, his calm response to narrowly missing qualification, and his articulate reflections on athletes like Owens, Lewis, and Tyson Gay all point to a grounded yet ambitious mindset the kind that can sustain the pressures of dual-event pursuit.
Parth Singh’s emergence is more than an individual achievement it’s a test case for India’s ability to support complex, globalized athletic talent. His profile sits at the intersection of elite potential and systemic fragility.
To fully harness his potential, the AFI must:
- Include him in the TOPS scheme for high-performance funding.
- Formalize coordination between his Taiwanese and Indian coaches to align training cycles.
- Ensure professional logistics for all future travel to domestic and international meets.
- Prioritize wind verification protocols for all national performances to secure international recognition.
For now, Parth Singh remains a rarity an athlete who can both sprint and soar, balancing two worlds and two disciplines with remarkable focus. His dual gold in Bhubaneswar is more than a medal tally; it’s a blueprint for what Indian athletics could achieve with structured international collaboration.
As he readies for the road to Oregon and dreams of Los Angeles beyond, Parth Singh is not just chasing distances and times he’s redefining what’s possible for an Indian athlete who refuses to choose between speed and flight.
