Now Reading: Ashish Yadav wins U-20 javelin silver, first Indian since Neeraj Chopra
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Ashish Yadav wins U-20 javelin silver, first Indian since Neeraj Chopra
Ashish Yadav, a 19-year-old from Mirzapur, won the silver medal in men's javelin at the World Athletics U-20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, with a best throw of 74.09m. The effort makes him…
The Story in Brief
Ashish Yadav, a 19-year-old from Mirzapur, won the silver medal in men's javelin at the World Athletics U-20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, with a best throw of 74.09m. The effort makes him only the second Indian male to win a javelin medal at the junior worlds, after Neeraj Chopra's gold in 2016. Chopra welcomed him on social media, calling the feat 'super proud'.
Yadav, whose father is a milkman, was encouraged by his uncle, discus thrower Dharam Raj Yadav. He trained under coach Arvind Kumar from April 2025. South Africa's Jan-Hendrik Heymans won gold with 80.50m. T Dharanidharan finished sixth for India with 72.35m.
The Indian Opinion
The 'next Neeraj' tag is unavoidable but lazy. Ashish Yadav threw 74.09m; Chopra won gold in 2016 with 86.48m, a junior world record that still stands. The gap is vast. Yet the real story is not the comparison but the pipeline: two Indians in the U-20 final, both from States with poor athletics infrastructure. Ashish says Mirzapur has no proper stadium. The test is not whether he becomes an Olympic gold medallist in four years, but whether district officials in Uttar Pradesh will now pick up the phone.
Sources (4): deccanherald.com, hindustantimes.com, hindustantimes.com (2), newindianexpress.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 4 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 4 sources.
