Now Reading: World U20 javelin silver medallist Ashish Yadav still seeks job
-
01
World U20 javelin silver medallist Ashish Yadav still seeks job
Nineteen-year-old javelin thrower Ashish Yadav won a silver at the World Under-20 Championships, becoming only the second Indian after Neeraj Chopra to do so. But his family’s financial struggles remain unchanged. Before…
The Story in Brief
Nineteen-year-old javelin thrower Ashish Yadav won a silver at the World Under-20 Championships, becoming only the second Indian after Neeraj Chopra to do so. But his family’s financial struggles remain unchanged. Before moving to Hisar in April 2025, Ashish helped his father sell milk in their village in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh. He told PTI: "I feel bad when my father sells milk. I am searching for a job, but not getting yet."
Ashish trained under coach Arvind Kumar, improving his throw by nearly 20 metres in six months and gaining 17kg through better nutrition and strength training. He targets an 80m throw within two years. Neeraj Chopra congratulated him, but Ashish wants his own identity. A knee injury hampered his preparation, yet he still won silver.
The Indian Opinion
The story of Ashish Yadav winning silver while his father still sells milk is being packaged as another tale of Indian sporting poverty overcome by grit. That framing misses the real issue: the system that makes a world medallist hunt for a job. Neither the government nor sports federations have a clear pathway for athletes like him. The test will be whether Ashish gets a job before he crosses 80m, or whether his father continues selling milk alone.
Sources (2): sports.ndtv.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
