Bhubaneswar: In a historic milestone for Indian gymnastics, 16-year-old Pritti Jhankaar of the Odisha AM/ NS India Gymnastics High Performance Centre (HPC) has become the first Indian woman gymnast to be awarded the highly coveted World Gymnastics Scholarship 2026.
Considered as one of the most competitive recognitions in global gymnastics, the scholarship is granted by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to a select few athletes who demonstrate exceptional talent, performance potential, and international promise.
This year, Pritti was chosen as one of only 12 gymnasts across 20 countries worldwide and will be receiving Rs 6 lakh scholarship.
Hailing from Bhubaneswar, Odisha, Pritti has been training at the HPC for the past three years, where she has consistently displayed discipline, resilience, and competitive excellence.
During this period, she has earned more than 12 national and international medals, emerging as one of India’s brightest young gymnastics talents.
Her sporting journey includes recognitions in major international and national tournaments such as the Junior Asian Championship 2025 in South Korea, Intercontinental Cup 2025 in Portugal, Junior Artistic Gymnastics National Championship 2024-25 and 2025 26, proving her mettle against some of the world’s leading gymnasts.