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From aspiring cricketer to toppling idol Neeraj Chopra: Meet Sachin Yadav, India’s new javelin sensation
Sachin Yadav came fourth in the men's javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships. Meanwhile, Neeraj Chopra had to settle for eighth spot.
Neeraj Chopra had a nightmare outing in the men's javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, finishing in eighth position. He was outperformed by debutant and fellow countryman Sachin Yadav, who also registered a personal best of 86.27m, which saw him bag a fourth-placed finish. His personal best came in the first throw, and at one point, he was in the top three.
Before the final, Sachin's personal best was at 85.16m, which saw him get silver at the Asian Athletics Championships this year. He got his personal best in his first attempt in Tokyo, which also saw him take the silver medal position for a short period.
Also Read: Neeraj Chopra concedes World Athletics Championships title as 4-year streak ends; Walcott wins gold, Sachin Yadav 4th
Also, he registered efforts of 84.90m, 85.96m and 80.95.
Who is Sachin Yadav?
25-year-old Sachin is originally from Uttar Pradesh's Khekra Village. During his childhood days, he was more interested in cricket. His athletic potential was discovered by athlete Sandeep Yadav, who was also his neighbour. Under Sandeep's tutelage, he shifted to javelin throw at the age of 19.
In 2024, he got gold at the All India Police Athletics Championships, where he was representing Uttar Pradesh Police. He registered a throw of 84.21m, which also broke a 30-year-old meet record. Then, he also managed gold at the Indian Grand Prix 3, followed by silver at the National Open Athletics Championships.
This year, he got gold at the 38th National Games in Dehradun with a personal best and meet record throw of 84.39m. At the 26th Asian Athletics C'ships in Gumi, he got another personal best, registering 85.16m. He missed out on the gold medal by only 1.24m, and it was clinched by Arshad Nadeem. At the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic, he came fourth with a throw of 82.33m.
In an earlier conversation with Sportstar, Sachin also revealed that Neeraj is his 'favourite javelin thrower'. He said, "He’s my favourite javelin thrower now but I didn’t even know who Neeraj bhai was when I started javelin throw. A lot of javelin throwers in India started because of Neeraj bhai but I came my own way."
