'Super proud of you': Neeraj Chopra congratulates Ashish Yadav on winning U20 Worlds silver
New Delhi, Aug 8
Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra has congratulated fellow Indian javelin thrower Ashish Yadav after his silver-medal finish at the World U20 Athletics Championships, calling the achievement particularly special from the perspective of a javelin thrower.
Ashish secured the second spot in the men's javelin final with a best effort of 74.09 metres, which came in his third attempt. His performance earned India a podium finish at the global junior event.
Chopra, who recently won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games, took to X to applaud the teenager and backed him to achieve greater success in the future.
"Always a great feeling to see Indian athletes competing and winning at the International level; this one is a little more special for me as a javelin thrower. Super proud of you, Ashish, on your Silver at the U-20 Worlds; this is just the start!" Chopra wrote on X.
South Africa's Heymans claimed the gold medal after producing a winning throw of 80.50 metres, while Dominica's James finished third with 73.89 metres.
India had another representative in the javelin competition, with T. Dharanidharan ending the event in sixth position. His best effort measured 72.35 metres.
Ashish's silver adds to India's growing presence in javelin at the junior level, a discipline that has been transformed by Chopra's achievements over the past decade.
Chopra himself created history at the 2016 World U20 Championships by winning the javelin gold with a then-world junior record of 86.48 metres. He has since gone on to become India's most decorated track and field athlete, winning Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020 and silver at Paris 2024. He will now compete at the Lausanne Diamond League later this year. Neeraj will face stern competition from Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who won the gold medal in the men's javelin throw at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland, with a throw of 89.75 meters.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Neeraj bhai is such an inspiration. Its not just about winning medals, but grooming the next generation. Ashish's 74m is solid but he needs to push towards 80m+ to compete with the world. The gap is there but with Neeraj's guidance, sky is the limit!
Congratulations Ashish! 🎉 But honestly, we need to address the gap. The South African winner threw 80.5m while Ashish managed 74.09m. Neeraj's world junior record was 86.48m. We have a long way to go before we can compete at the senior world level. Still proud though!
Neeraj Chopra is the epitome of a true champion - winning medals and then nurturing the next generation. This is how sports culture develops in a country. Very proud of both of them! Dharanidharan finishing 6th is also encouraging. We need more javelin academies in India.
Wait, did I read that correctly? Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage won gold at CWG 2026 with 89.75m? That's massive! Neeraj will really need to be at his absolute best. Great that our juniors are stepping up though - this kind of competition will only push them further. 💪
The way Neeraj has transformed javelin in India is remarkable. Before him, we barely had one athlete in this event; now we have multiple juniors competing at world level. Ashish's silver is a testament to the pipeline Neeraj has created. This is the beginning of a golden era for Indian athletics!
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