World Under-20 javelin silver medallist Ashish Yadav is searching for a job to support his family, saying he feels bad watching his father sell milk in their village in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh.
The 19-year-old made history last week by becoming only the second Indian javelin thrower to win a medal at the World Athletics U20 Championships, following Neeraj Chopra’s gold in 2016.
But despite his breakthrough on the international stage, Ashish’s family remains under financial pressure.
“My father is a milkman, he sells milk at our village in Mirzapur. My father has six brothers, three soldiers and three farmers. I feel bad when my father sells milk,” Ashish told PTI.
“I am searching for a job, but not getting yet. I will train well and work hard in Hisar to win medals for the country.”
Silver Medal Changes Sporting Journey
Ashish won silver in the men’s javelin at the World U20 Championships with a best throw of 74.09m, finishing behind South Africa’s Jan-Hendrik Heymans, who won gold with 80.50m.
His medal made him the second Indian after Chopra to stand on the podium in the event at the junior world championships.
Chopra had won gold at the 2016 edition with a world U20 record of 86.48m, which still stands.
For Ashish, the medal represents a remarkable rise after he moved to the IIS-SAI Centre in Hisar in April 2025 to train under coach Arvind Kumar.
Since then, his throw has improved by nearly 20 metres.
“When I went to Arvind sir, there are 60m throwers with him, but my aim was to do 70m. In six months with coach Arvind, I increased my distance by 20m,” he said.
Ashish initially competed only at village and district-level meets and used wooden javelins provided by a relative.
His training in Hisar brought a major transformation, with technical coaching, strength work, nutrition and regular fitness monitoring helping him develop into an international-level thrower.
“When I came, it was 68kg but now I weigh 85kg. It was due to good nutrition and there is a good nutritionist at the centre in Hisar,” he said.
“When I was at my village, I did not know anything about diet and building muscles, I ate whatever was available.”
Wants To Meet Neeraj Chopra
Ashish’s success has also drawn praise from Chopra, India’s most celebrated javelin thrower.
“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 social media.
Ashish, however, is keen to avoid comparisons with his idol and hopes to meet him someday.
“I have not met him. How can I meet him so soon?” he said.
“But I don’t want myself to be compared with him, I can’t do that. Instead, I want to work hard.”
Coming from a village where javelin was virtually unknown, Ashish also hopes his achievement can encourage youngsters back home to take up the sport.
“In our village there is nobody who does javelin. I hope people in my village know the sport and start playing,” he said.
Injury Made Silver More Special
Ashish’s achievement was even more significant because his preparations were disrupted by a knee injury.
He suffered a Posterolateral Corner injury, affecting structures at the back and outer side of the knee, and had to undergo rehabilitation before travelling to the World U20 Championships.
“My training was not going well due to injury. My ground best is 79m, but I couldn’t cover the distance because of injury,” he said.
“Before the competition, I was not able to throw on the ground. I went to lab for rehab and my rehab was going on. After the rehab, I went to the competition. So, I couldn’t throw my best. Still, I got a medal for the country.”
Eyes 80m Mark
Ashish now wants to build on his breakthrough by improving his strength and technique and crossing the 80m mark within the next year or two.
“As I compete in national and international events, I come to know of my weaknesses and deficiencies. I will work hard, try to improve and hopefully cross 80m mark in a year or two. That is my aim,” he said.
“I want to work on my muscles, my body overall. If I do that, I will be able to do better in the future.”
For now, however, Ashish’s ambitions extend beyond sporting success. With his father continuing to sell milk in Mirzapur, the young thrower is hoping his growing career can eventually provide the financial stability his family needs.
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