Youth Olympics Stars from India to Watch

India’s sports scene is buzzing with energy, fuelled by the determination of our young athletes. Looking back, India has shown tremendous potential and growth in the Youth Olympics over the years.

As we await the upcoming games, let's take a look at some India's most promising Youth Olympics stars who are ready to shine at the upcoming Games.

Also Read: Olympic Athletes to Watch in LA 2028 from India

Youth Olympics Stars to Watch

Jyoshna Sabar (Weightlifting)

India's Jyoshna Sabar is one of India's leading junior weightlifters.

After winning bronze at the World Youth Championships in Albania 2023, she shattered the national snatch record on her way to the gold medal in the 40kg category at the 6th Khelo India Youth Games in Chennai. Jyoshna lifted a total of 130 kgs, including 60 kg in Snatch (a new national record) and 70 kg in Clean and Jerk.

Pooja Singh (High Jump)

At just 18, Pooja Singh clinched gold medal in the women’s high jump at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships after becoming India’s youngest ever Asian champion. Pooja, from Fatehbad district of Haryana cleared a new personal best of 1.89m to beat a quality field.

With this achievement, she became only the second Indian woman to win a high jump medal and the first in 25 years at the continental event.

Sunelita Toppo (Hockey)

Hailing from the hockey-rich district of Sundergarh, Odisha, Sunelita Toppo is a rising star in Indian women's hockey.

In 2023, Sunelita made her debut for the Indian junior team, quickly establishing herself as a promising forward. Her impressive performances earned her a spot in the senior team, where she made her debut in the FIH Pro League in 2024. 

Bhajan Kaur (Archery)

Indian archery has found a rising star in Bhajan Kaur, who had already made her Olympic debut in the Paris Olympics 2024 at just 18 years of age.

One of her significant achievements came at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China, where she won a bronze medal in the women’s recurve team event. She replicated this success at the 2023 Asian Archery Championships in Bangkok.

Adriyan Karmakar (Shooting)

At the Khelo India Youth Games 2024 in Chennai, AdriyanKarmakar, representing West Bengal, successfully defended his gold medal in the 50m rifle 3 positions event.

Adriyan has already had a phase where shooting became more of a chore that he felt he had to do because of who he was, the son of 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, 2010 World Cup silver medallist and London 2012 Olympian rifle shooter Joydeep Karmakar.

Also Read: Olympics Women In Sports 10 Indian Women Who Made Olympic History

Anahat Singh (Squash)

Anahat Singh has been called as India's next squash superstar and there's good reason behind the tag.

She won two bronze medals at the Asian Games 2023 - in the women's team and the mixed doubles events - in Hangzhou. Anahat also held the record of being the youngest Indian to become an Asian Games medallist for a few days before Sanjana Bathula surpassed it.