Kadir Khan, a first-time participant, ran an exceptional 400m race at the Patliputra Sports Complex, breaking the national youth record twice and securing a gold medal
PATNA – The Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) 2025 witnessed an extraordinary moment at the Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna on Tuesday, as Uttar Pradesh’s 18-year-old Kadir Khan broke the 400-metre race record not once, but twice within 24 hours.
Kadir, who was competing in his first KIYG, stunned spectators with his remarkable speed and stamina. On Monday, he set a new record in the qualifying round. Not stopping there, he went on to beat his own record in the final, clocking 47.34 seconds, securing the gold medal.
He narrowly defeated Bihar’s Piyush Raj, who finished at 47.43 seconds. Karnataka’s Syed Sabir came third with 47.50 seconds, taking home the bronze medal.
Speaking after the final, Kadir said, “I did not think that I would be able to run so well. This was my first Khelo India Youth Games and now my target is to improve this record next time.”
In another highlight from the track events, Aditya Pisal from Maharashtra created a new record in the 100-metre race, completing it in 10.62 seconds. The earlier record stood at 10.63 seconds.
Bihar’s Prince Kumar secured the silver medal with a timing of 10.64 seconds, while Maharashtra’s Rudra Sachin Shini clocked 10.78 seconds and took the bronze.
Bablu Kumar and Tushar Chaudhary Excel in Long-Distance and Weightlifting
The 1500-metre race saw Bablu Kumar of Uttar Pradesh finish first with a time of 3:56.36 seconds, winning the gold medal. Bihar’s Vijay Kumar claimed the bronze with 3:57.12 seconds.
In the weightlifting category, Uttar Pradesh’s Tushar Chaudhary smashed previous records in both clean and jerk and overall lift. He lifted 126 kg in snatch and 163 kg in clean and jerk, totalling a massive improvement of 10 kg over the last record.
The hockey finals in Rajgir brought more excitement. In the girls’ final, Odisha beat Jharkhand 3-1 in a shootout, claiming the gold medal.
In the boys’ final, Haryana narrowly defeated Uttar Pradesh with a score of 1-0, taking the gold, while Punjab won the bronze. Among the girls, Madhya Pradesh secured the bronze medal.
Kadir Khan’s historic victory has drawn attention to the rising contribution of Muslim athletes in Indian sports. His achievement is being celebrated in Uttar Pradesh and among the wider community.
“This win is not just mine,” said Kadir, “but for every young person who comes from a modest background and dreams big.”
With the games still ongoing, hopes are high for more record-breaking performances and stories of young athletes making their mark.
