3 weeks ago
Ashish Yadav wins World U-20 javelin silver after pond training
Ashish Yadav is a 19-year-old javelin thrower from a small village in India.
When he started the sport, he had no proper ground, so he practised with a wooden javelin in a dry pond that even had patches of quicksand.
He loved watching videos of his hero, champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra.
A coach named Arvind Kumar saw his talent and picked him to train at the Hisar Centre.
At the World Under-20 Championships in the United States, Ashish threw the javelin 74.09 metres.
That won him the silver medal — India's first medal at the whole competition.
He did it even though he had a knee injury and was only about 80 per cent fit.
Ashish says the medal proves he can compete at the highest level, and he now wants to keep improving.
Ashish Yadav won silver in the javelin at the World Athletics U20 Championships 2026 in Eugene, Oregon — India's first medal of the edition.
His 74.09-metre throw made him the first Indian to win a junior World Championships javelin medal since Neeraj Chopra's gold in 2016.
The 19-year-old trained with a wooden javelin in a dry pond with quicksand patches near his Mawaiya village in Mirzapur before joining the Hisar Centre.
South Africa's Jan-Hendrik Heymans won gold with 80.50 metres, while Addison James of Dominica took bronze with a national-record 73.89 metres.
Competing at about 80 per cent fitness after a knee injury, Ashish credited coach Arvind Kumar, his uncle and the Inspire Institute of Sport-backed Hisar Centre for his rise.
- Who
- Ashish Yadav, a 19-year-old javelin thrower from Mawaiya village in Mirzapur, India
- What
- Won the silver medal in javelin at the World Athletics U20 Championships 2026 with a throw of 74.09 metres, giving India its first medal of the edition
- Where
- Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, United States
- When
- Saturday, August 8, 2026
- Why
- His journey from training with a wooden javelin in a dry pond to joining the Hisar Centre, inspired by Neeraj Chopra, let him reach a U-20 world podium despite being about 80 per cent fit after a knee injury
Key facts
- Event
- World Athletics U20 Championships 2026
- Medal
- Silver (men's javelin)
- Winning throw
- 74.09 metres
- Gold medallist
- Jan-Hendrik Heymans (South Africa), 80.50m
- Bronze medallist
- Addison James (Dominica), 73.89m (national record)
- Venue
- Hayward Field, Eugene, Oregon, United States
- Age
- 19
- Hometown
- Mawaiya village, Mirzapur, India
Quotes
Ashish Yadav
19‑year‑old Indian javelin athlete and World U‑20 silver medalist
“I was about 80 per cent fit, but I am not using that as an excuse. Injuries are bound to happen.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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