The world is observing International Youth Day on Tuesday (August 12), which celebrates young achievers' potential alongside focusing on youth-related issues that need global attention. The first IYD was observed in 2000, nine years after the idea was first proposed in 1991. When it comes to sports, India is brimming with a lot of young talent. In fact, a significant number of teenagers are also emerging, especially over the last few years, in various sports. Let us have a look at 5 Indian teenagers who are set for big things in the near future:
1. Anmol Kharb
Under the watchful eyes of coaches Parupalli Kashyap and Gurusai Dutt, Anmol Kharb has taken long strides in badminton over the past couple of years. At the age of 12, in 2019, she won the U17 All India Ranking title in Hyderabad, her first-ever national-level title. In the next year, Anmol won the U17 national titles in both singles and doubles. However, she shot to fame in 2023, at the age of only 16, after winning the gold medal at the National Championships. Anmol Kharb was then selected for the Indian women's team, alongside PV Sindhu, for the Badminton Asia Team Championships in 2024, held in Selangor, Malaysia.
The Indian team created history, winning gold at the Championships for the first time, and Anmol was the chief protagonist. She played three matches and won all of them, but what made those wins special was the fact that all three of them were the deciders. In 2024, Anmol continued her good run, finishing as the runner-up in the BWF World Tour played in Guwahati in women's singles and then ending up winning the Belgian and Polish Internationals later in the year. Anmol, ranked 56th in the world currently, is certainly set for big things, and it is only a matter of time before she shines for India on the world stage.
2. Divyanshi Bhowmick
Divyanshi Bhowmick, India's table tennis player, shot to prominence last month after she became the first Indian in 36 years to win the Under-15 girls' singles title at the Asian Junior and Cadet Championships. The 14-year-old defeated three Chinese opponents en route to the memorable title. Before her short career's best achievement, Divyanshi won the gold medal at the age of 13 in the U17 girls' singles event at the 2024 WTT Youth Contender in Algiers. In 2023, she was the silver medallist at the ITTF World Youth Championships in the U15 girls' doubles.
Earlier this year, Divyanshi was also named the best women's player at the Table Tennis Super League (TTSL) Maharashtra in April. The talented player has trained hard ever since she picked up the paddle for the first time, and after winning the Asian Junior and Cadet Championships recently, she revealed (while speaking to Sportstar) that her father bought her Power Pong, a robot that mimics a sparring partner. She admitted that these robot sessions helped her overcome the Chinese opponents.
3. Dhinidhi Desinghu
Dhinidhi Desinghu, a 15-year-old Indian swimmer, has made significant strides in the sport in recent years. She was the youngest Indian participant at the Paris Olympics last year, as she participated in the 200m freestyle event. Dhinidhi recently broke the 17-year-old national record in the 100m freestyle event, where she became the first Indian woman to swim under 57 seconds.
The rising star of India also set the national record in the 400m freestyle event at the National Games this year in Haldwani. At the National Games 2022 in Goa, Dhinidhi Desinghu grabbed the eyeballs by winning seven gold medals and since then, has come a long way. It seems it is only a matter of time before she becomes a star at the global level and represents the country regularly at the Olympics in the next few years.
4. Pranav V
Pranav V won the World Junior Chess Championship earlier this year in Montenegro. He remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and showcased a consistent performance across all rounds. In August 2022, at the age of just 16, Pranav became the 75th grandmaster from India.
Before winning the Junior Championship in March 2025, Pranav won two golds in the U18 Open Rapid and U18 Open Blitz sections at the FIDE World Youth Rapid and Blitz Championship in Slovenia in December 2024. Pranav's current FIDE rating is 1597, and he is ranked 167th in the world. He achieved the peak rating of 2632 in June last year, and going by his progress, the young talent looks set to be the next star alongside the likes of D Gukesh and R Praggnanandha, among others.
5. Jonathan Gavin Antony
National Games 2025 witnessed history being created as a 15-year-old Jonathan Gavin Antony announced himself on the big stage. He stunned the Olympians, including the 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medallist Sarabjot Singh, in the 10m air pistol event to win the gold medal. Representing Karnataka, Jonathan won his first senior national gold medal with a score of 240.7.
Before pipping Sarabjot in the final, Jonathan defeated Saurabh Choudhary, a Tokyo Olympian and an Asian Games gold medallist, in the qualifying round. Having trumped some of the best Indian shooters at a very young age, Jonathan is certainly one to watch out for in the near future.
