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Pilibhit, Read: Pilibhit’s athlete Yunus Shah, who gave shape to his dreams while running on unpaved trails amidst dense forests, has achieved a milestone which will be recorded for the first time in the sports history of the district. Yunus, posted as Havildar in the Indian Army, has been selected in the Indian team for the Asian Games to be held in Nagoya, Japan from 19 September to 4 October. This achievement is not only a recognition of their years of struggle and hard work, but is also a proud moment for the entire Pilibhit.

Yunus Shah, resident of Jograjpur village of Sehramau North police station area, will now be seen representing India on the biggest stage of the Asian Games. This will be the first time in the history of Pilibhit district, when an athlete from here will represent the country in the Asian Games in Athletics.

New record set in Bhubaneswar

Yunus recently performed brilliantly in the 2026 Inter-State Athletics Championship held in Bhubaneswar and set a new record by completing the men’s 1500 meter race in 3 minutes 37.55 seconds. In this race, he strengthened his claim by leaving behind the country’s top runner Gulveer Singh. On the basis of this strong performance, he was selected for the Asian Games.

Didn’t give up till the end

Yunus’s brother and advocate Chand Shah said that he studied till intermediate from Sevaram Inter College, Jograjpur. Since childhood, he was especially fond of running, wrestling and Kabaddi. His dream was to join the Indian Army. While preparing for army recruitment, he took up running seriously, but due to the Corona epidemic, the recruitment process got affected and his dream remained unfulfilled due to exceeding the age limit. However, Yunus did not give up.

made running my goal

He made running his goal and started working hard under the guidance of coach Vipin at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. Constant practice and discipline gave new recognition to his talent. Later, he fulfilled his dream of joining the army by becoming a Havildar in the Indian Army through sports quota. Yunus’s performance continued to improve.

Inter-university athletics won gold

In the All India Inter-University Athletics Competition held in Chennai in the year 2022-23, he won gold medal in 1500 meters and silver medal in 800 meters. After this, he proved his ability at the international level by winning the bronze medal in the Asian Championship held in South Korea in 2024. He has also been continuously winning gold medals in the Inter-State Senior Athletics Championship for the last three years.

It is a matter of pride to wear the Indian team jersey.

After being selected in the Asian Games, Younis Shah said that it is a matter of pride for him to wear the Indian team jersey, but his ultimate goal is not just to participate but to win the gold medal for India in Nagoya.

He said that he will hit the track with all his strength and preparation so that the country’s tricolor can fly the highest. There is a wave of happiness in the entire district due to this achievement of Yunus. District Olympic Association President Anil Mahendra described this as a golden moment in the sports history of Pilibhit and said that for the first time an athlete from the district will represent India in the Asian Games. He is confident that Yunus will make the country as well as Pilibhit proud at the international level with his performance.

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