Neerajs Message Made Me Happier Than The Medal U 20 Silver Medalist Ashish Yadav

Mumbai: In an instant, Ashish Yadav’s face lit up. He was full of smiles as he talked about one specific message of congratulations he received on the evening of August 7.

Yadav was in Eugene, Oregon at the time as part of the Indian contingent competing at the U-20 World Athletics Championships. A few hours earlier, he had become only the second Indian to win a medal in the javelin throw event at the elite competition, when he won the silver medal.

Amidst the sea of messages he received, one stood out. The one from Neeraj Chopra.

“I got a message from sir saying ‘God bless you,’” the 19-year-old recalled with a smile. “I took a screenshot and posted it. I was happier with the message than I was with the medal. If he had messaged me earlier, I would have added a few more meters to my throw.”

A decade before Yadav stood on the podium, Chopra had become the first javelin thrower from India to secure a medal in the discipline in the U-20 World Championships.

That triumph in 2016, which came with a throw of 86.48m that still stands as the U-20 record, announced Chopra to the world. It was the first step in his path to becoming one of India’s most successful athletes, across sports.

Yadav was nine at the time, and the son of a milkman hailing from the Mawaiya village in Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, did not dare to dream of reaching the heights Chopra had started to get to. What he would have known though is that there was now a map to follow.

He comes from a generation of athletes that grew up knowing there is a journey to Olympic greatness as Chopra trailblazed his way to the top of the podium at every major competition available for the sport – the Commonwealth Games, the Asian Games, the (senior) World Championships and the Olympic Games.

But he also comes from a family with two international athletes. His uncle is Dharam Raj Yadav, a discus thrower who won gold at the Federation Cup in May. He is the one Yadav credits with getting him into the sport more seriously.

And then there is his aunt Punam Yadav, who won a weightlifting bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

“Aunty ka humse bhi bada medal hai (My aunt’s medal is more prestigious than mine),” said Yadav, who is supported by the Inspire Institute of Sport.

“I had spoken to both of them after winning the medal. They congratulated me and said to keep working hard and that I can win bigger things then,” he said.

Through Chopra’s achievements, it is well known what those bigger things could be. But the first step in that journey, for Yadav, is to get fitter.

In fact, he was struggling with a knee injury less than a month before he took the trip to the United States.

“I was in rehab for about 25 days before I travelled,” he said. “I used to be on the ground training, but doing only light work. And I’d make only five throws a day – around 30-40 meters – but only to check for the pain.

“The injury was on my mind during the competition as well.”

In training, he has reached as far as 79m, but managed to get as far as 74.09m in Eugene to clinch the silver medal. The gold was won by South Africa’s Jan-Hendrik Heymans with a throw of 80.5m.

It’s been barely a week since that podium finish at Hayward Field in the University of Oregon – incidentally, where Chopra had won the senior World Championships silver medal in 2022 – but Yadav has already started working on his fitness.

“I am weak in the lower body and I need to do a lot of strengthening work,” he said. “There is always some pressure (because of the frequent injuries he suffers). I missed the junior nationals because of it, and I was very upset.

“If I’m fit, I can add at least two meters. But I need to get fit.”

But with Chopra’s blessings, he is looking forward to putting in the work to see where it can take him next.

Been a sports journalist for over 11 years. Won the best article award at the PII-ICRC Annual Awards in 2024.