Neeraj Chopra congratulates Ashish Yadav after U20 Worlds javelin silver

Neeraj Chopra congratulated fellow Indian javelin thrower Ashish Yadav after his silver-medal finish at the World U20 Athletics Championships. Ashish threw 74.09 metres to finish second, with Chopra praising his achievement and backing him for greater success ahead

New Delhi: 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.

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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.