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, describing the achievement as particularly special from the perspective of a javelin thrower.

Ashish secured second place in the men’s javelin final with a best effort of 74.09 metres, recorded on his third attempt. The performance earned India a podium finish at the global junior event.

Chopra, who recently won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games, posted on X to applaud the teenager and encourage him toward further success. “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!” he wrote.

South Africa’s Heymans claimed the gold medal with a winning throw of 80.50 metres, while Dominica’s James took bronze with 73.89 metres. India had another representative in the competition: T. Dharanidharan finished sixth with a best effort of 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 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 become India’s most decorated track-and-field athlete, winning Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020 and silver at Paris 2024.

He is next scheduled to compete at the Lausanne Diamond League later this year, where he is expected to face strong competition, including from Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who won the men’s javelin gold at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow with a throw of 89.75 metres.

Chopra’s public message of support linked the latest junior podium to the broader trajectory of Indian javelin and framed Ashish’s medal as an early milestone rather than a peak.