Extremely talented Indian long jumper Shaili Singh on 22 August missed out on scripting history by a mere 1 cm as the Indian settled for a silver medal in the U-20 World Athletics Championships in Nairobi. The 17-year-old Indian?s personal best effort of 6.59m was not sufficient for the gold medal as she was pipped at the post by Sweden's reigning European junior champion Maja Askag, who managed 6.60m for the top spot on the final day of the championships.

Long jumper Anju Bobby George, Shaili was leading at the end of the third round but the 18-year-old Swede overtook her in the fourth round by a mere 1 cm, which proved to be crucial in the end. Mariia Horielova of Ukraine took the bronze with a best jump of 6.50m.

?I could have jumped farther than the 6.59m and won the gold. My mother had told me about winning gold and the national anthem being sung in the stadium (but I could not do it),? an emotional Shaili said after the race. ?I am just 17, I want gold in the next U20 World Championships (in Cali, Colombia). There is also Asian Games and Commonwealth Games next year and I want to do well in those events.?

Tokyo Olympics gold medallist and former U20 champion Neeraj Chopra praised Shaili for her efforts as well. ?Many congratulations, Shaili! You came so close to Gold today, and I'm sure you have a long way to go. Congratulations to @anjubobbygeorg1 ma'am for your mentorship and guidance to Shaili,? Chopra tweeted.

Many congratulations, Shaili! You came so close to Gold today, and I'm sure you have a long way to go ????????
Congratulations to @anjubobbygeorg1 ma'am for your mentorship and guidance to Shaili ???????? https://t.co/05W7FPBfsV

? Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) August 22, 2021

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