Mentored by Olympian Dutee Chand, 18-year-old Pratik also secured the first medal for Odisha in the ongoing championship with a silver in U-20 mens 100m sprint earlier on the opening day.

It may be recalled that Pratik won the U-18 boys 200m gold medal with a meet record, clocking 21.28 seconds in the 39th National Junior Athletics Championships, which was also held at Kalinga Stadium from 7 to 11 December 2024.

Besides the all-important gold by Pratik, Odisha won another medal today with Ommkar Prasad Nanda bagging bronze in U-20 mens shot put with a throw of 18.24 metres. With the two medals today, the tally for Odisha increased to six, which include one gold, three silver and two bronze.

Earlier, Chhabindra Behera (U-14 boys triathlon B) and Kuni Rajgond (U-14 girls javelin) claimed one silver each, while Alokika Swain (U-18 girls javelin) secured one bronze.
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TOP: Odisha sprinter Pratik Maharana poses with his 200m gold medal at the 40th National Junior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar on 13 October 2025.
RIGHT: Odisha javelin thrower Kuni Rajgond shows her silver medal at the 40th National Junior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar on 12 October 2025.