Uttarakhand CM Dhami congratulates Ashish Yadav on silver medal at World U20 Athletics Championships
Dehradun, August 8
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday congratulated Indian javelin thrower Ashish Yadav for winning the silver medal at the World U20 Athletics Championships with a throw of 74.09 metres.
Ashish produced his best effort of 74.09 metres in the third round to finish second in the competition. South Africa's Heymans won the gold medal with a throw of 80.50 metres, while Dominica's James secured the bronze with 73.89 metres.
Congratulating Ashish on his achievement, Dhami, in a post on X said, "Ashish Yadav clinched the silver medal at the World U20 Athletics Championship with a splendid throw of 74.09 meters. This outstanding performance is a testament to his talent, hard work, and dedication. Heartiest congratulations to Ashish Yadav on this remarkable achievement, and best wishes for a bright future ahead!"
India's T. Dharanidharan also competed in the event and finished sixth with a best throw of 72.35 metres.
The achievement comes in a competition that has previously seen India's Neeraj Chopra win the U20 javelin gold in 2016 with a world-record throw of 86.48 metres.
According to Olympics.com, the Indian squad comprises 23 men and 13 women and heads into the global showpiece on the back of a historic outing at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, China, where the country finished second behind China with a record haul of 19 medals, including 10 gold.
All eyes will be on the 19-year-old Pooja, who has emerged as one of India's brightest athletics prospects this season. She clinched the women's high jump title at the Asian U20 Championships with a clearance of 1.93m, setting a new senior national record and eclipsing the previous mark of 1.92m set by Sahana Kumari in 2012.
Her gold-winning effort also erased the championship record that had stood since 2006 and secured qualification for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, where she went on to finish eighth in challenging rainy conditions.
Apart from Pooja, Asian U20 champions Nitin Gupta and Shahnavaz Khan will also spearhead India's medal hopes in Oregon. Nitin claimed the men's 5000m race walk title at the continental meet, while Shahnavaz struck gold in the men's long jump.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Great effort by Ashish! It's encouraging to see young athletes from smaller states getting recognition. Also, Pooja's high jump record is incredible - 1.93m! The government should ensure these kids get proper training facilities and sponsorships. Congratulations to the entire team! 🎉
Silver is good, but we should have aimed for gold. The South African guy threw 80.50m, which is way ahead. That said, Ashish is only young - with the right coaching he can bridge that gap. Hope the athletics federation doesn't neglect him like they do with many junior medalists after the hype dies down.
The women's contingent is doing so well! Pooja breaking the senior national record at 19 is phenomenal. And 19 medals at Asian U20 - we are definitely progressing in athletics. This is the result of grassroots development. Kudos to all the coaches and support staff working behind the scenes. 👏
Nice to see CM Dhami acknowledging grassroots athletes. But we need more sports infrastructure in Uttarakhand - proper synthetic tracks, physios, and nutritionists. Congratulations Ashish! Make us proud at the senior level next. Also, T. Dharanidharan finishing 6th is no small feat either!
Every medal counts! Ashish's consistency in the third round shows he has a strong mindset. And with Neeraj Chopra's legacy in U20 javelin, this is a great continuation. The fact that we had 23 men and 13 women at the Worlds shows our athletics depth is improving. All the best to the squad!
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