Now Reading: Javelin star Ashish Yadav emulates Neeraj Chopra with U20 Worlds silver
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Javelin star Ashish Yadav emulates Neeraj Chopra with U20 Worlds silver
Sushila Devi, a 19-year-old from a village in Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur district, won the silver medal in women's javelin throw at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon on Friday. Her…
The Story in Brief
Sushila Devi, a 19-year-old from a village in Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur district, won the silver medal in women's javelin throw at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon on Friday. Her best effort of 74.09m made her only the second Indian woman to win a medal at the youth worlds, following Neeraj Chopra's gold in 2016. She opened with 69.96m and a foul before unleashing her winning throw in the third round. South Africa's Jan-Hendrik Heymans took gold with 80.50m while Dominica's Addison James got bronze with 73.89m.
Devi switched from competing in 800m and steeplechase to javelin in 2022. She trains at JSW's centre in Ballari without a permanent coach, relying on video analysis of Olympic and world champions. "I watch videos of Neeraj bhaiya and others. I learn from them," she told The Indian Express. Her uncle Dharamraj Yadav is a discus thrower and her aunt Poonam Yadav won a Commonwealth Games bronze in weightlifting in 2014. Devi said she was motivated by Chopra's congratulatory message on social media after her silver.
The Indian Opinion
The narrative that every Indian javelin success is simply following Neeraj Chopra's path sells athletes short. Ashish Yadav's journey from Mirzapur's inadequate facilities to a world podium deserves its own recognition. The lazy comparison ignores his distinct struggles, training with wooden javelins, cooking meals behind stadiums, and overcoming infrastructure neglect. Critics who measure him only against Chopra's U20 gold should instead ask: if a 19-year-old from a small town with poor support can win world silver, what could Indian athletics achieve with proper grassroots investment? The real test is whether Yadav receives the coaching and facilities needed to improve on his 74.09m throw.
Sources (3): deccanherald.com, hindustantimes.com, hindustantimes.com (2)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
