Gujarat’s emerging sprint talent Kajal Vaja played a key role in India’s silver medal-winning performance in the women’s 4x100m relay at the 22nd Asian U-20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, adding another milestone to her rapidly growing athletics career.
The Indian quartet of Kajal Vaja, Bhavna, Arti and Nipam clocked 45.05 seconds to secure the silver medal while setting a new national U-20 record. The team bettered the previous national mark of 45.08 seconds, underlining its strong performance on the continental stage.
Kajal’s journey to international success has been marked by determination and perseverance. Hailing from Chorwad village in Gujarat’s Junagadh district, she is the daughter of farm labourer Hirabhai Vaja. Despite financial constraints, she remained focused on athletics and even took a drop year during Class 12 to devote more time to training and competition preparation.
Her coach, Shivam Upadhyay, credited her success to consistent hard work and discipline. According to him, Kajal has established herself as one of the country’s most promising young sprinters through strong performances in sprint and relay events.
The silver medal in Hong Kong adds to an impressive list of achievements. Kajal had earlier won silver in the 4x100m relay at the South Asian Senior Athletics Championships in Ranchi and also holds the national U-20 record in the 60m event.
In March this year, she claimed gold at the First Indoor Open Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, where she set a national record in the 60m sprint with a timing of 7.50 seconds.
Kajal’s sporting journey began through programmes run by the Sports Authority of Gujarat before she progressed to the District Level Sports School in Kodinar and later the High-Performance Centre in Nadiad, where she continues to train.
Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi congratulated Kajal and the Indian relay team, describing the achievement as a proud moment for both Gujarat and the country.
