While most of India waits for rains, Ashish Yadav would wait for it to stop.Because, during monsoons the village pond would swell up and the 19-year-old would then begin the long wait for summer when the pond would dry up and he would obtain his ‘training ground’.“Hurling the wooden pole in the village pond was exciting,” the Mirzapur village resident tells TOI. In summers, the dried pond bed — benthic zone, for the more scientifically inclined — would become an ideal place to test his skills. In the rainy season, young Ashish searched for an empty field since the Uttar Pradesh village had no proper ground to practise. Dry ponds became his training ground, and a wooden pole served as a javelin.Last week, in Eugene, Oregon, a far cry from the makeshift practice ‘grounds’ of his village, all those hardships bore fruit with Yadav’s 74.09m effort fetching him silver in the men’s javelin at the U20 World Athletics Championships. The effort ended India’s 10-year wait for a medal since Neeraj Chopra’s historic gold in 2016 at Bydgoszcz, which had crowned him the country’s first world U20 champion.“It was my first global competition and I emerged victorious. This silver medal is like gold for me,” said Yadav, who secured the medal with his third attempt. South Africa’s Jan-Hendrik Heymans won gold with 80.50m, while Dominica’s Addison James took bronze with 73.89m.Yadav, along with other two medal winners, Basant Kumar Meghwal (men’s high jump) and Shahnavaz Khan (men’s long jump), were felicitated by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) at its headquarters here on Wednesday.“This medal has also provided me with a healing touch. I had finished fourth at the Asian U20 meet in Hong Kong and was disappointed. I was hurting from inside. I was hungrier for a medal than my rivals,” he added.The youngster’s love for javelin began when his uncle Dharamraj Yadav, a former national-level discus thrower, urged him to find something productive in his life. “I used to play with village children and didn’t focus on classes and school. That was the time I started javelin throw,” he recalled. Those village contests sharpened his competitive spirit. “Who will throw the furthest was the mantra of each of the students,” he said.Money was tight, and Yadav, the second son of a small farmer, grew up in a family of modest means. His father sold milk at home, while his elder brother still works on farms, and his younger brother is in school. “It was tough growing up with limited means of income. But my father and entire family supported me and encouraged me to pursue sports.”A major change came in 2025, when Yadav shifted to the SAI centre in Hisar. Structured training, equipment, nutrition and injury management transformed his approach. “I learned a new throwing technique. I also learned injury management. There was a proper diet.”Yadav’s personal best is 74.49m, which he achieved at the Indian Open Throws competition in Patiala earlier this year. Now, he has bigger ambitions — to breach the 80m-mark. “I have to stay healthy to achieve new goals in the coming months and not rest on my laurels. My goal is to work hard and climb up the ladder step by step. I want to get to the 80m,” he said.
