A Decade After Neeraj Chopra, India Has Another World U20 Javelin Medallist

It took India a decade to find another name. Now it has one.

Nineteen-year-old Ashish Yadav has become only the second Indian ever to win a medal in the men's javelin throw at the World Athletics U20 Championships, finishing with a silver medal in Eugene and extending the legacy that Neeraj Chopra began in 2016.

If Chopra announced India's arrival on the world stage with a record-breaking gold a decade ago, Ashish's silver is a reminder that Indian javelin is no longer a one-man story.

Ashish registered a best throw of 74.09 metres to finish second behind South Africa's Jan-Hendrik Heymans, who claimed gold with a world U20-leading effort of 80.50 metres. Dominica's Addison James took bronze with 73.89 metres.

The significance of the achievement was not lost on Neeraj Chopra.

Congratulating the teenager on social media, India's two-time Olympic medallist wrote, "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... this is just the start."

Ashish's journey to the podium was built on consistency. After opening with 69.96 metres and fouling his second attempt, he found his rhythm with a third-round throw of 74.09 metres, a mark that eventually secured the silver medal.

Another Indian, T. Dharanidharan, also impressed by finishing sixth with a best effort of 72.35 metres, underlining the growing depth of India's javelin programme.

The comparison with Chopra is inevitable.

In 2016, a young Neeraj stunned the athletics world by winning the U20 title with a world junior record of 86.48 metres, a performance that became the launchpad for an Olympic gold, a World Championship title and his emergence as one of the greatest javelin throwers of his generation.

No one expects Ashish Yadav to replicate that journey overnight. But medals at this level have often been the first glimpse of bigger careers. Ten years after Neeraj Chopra inspired a generation to pick up the javelin, that generation is beginning to return the favour.

(With inputs from ANI)