Sachin Yadav: Inspired by Neeraj Chopra, Built Like Arshad Nadeem - Meet Uttar Pradesh's Rising Javelin Star

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The new javelin sensation, Sachin Yadav, has once again grabbed the headlines! He clinched the gold medal at the National Games and shattered a decade-old meet record of 82.23m set by Rajinder Singh, achieving a personal best throw of 84.39m.

With an outstanding throw of 84.39m, Sachin Yadav catapults himself into India's top five all-time javelin throwers, just behind legends like Neeraj Chopra(89.94m), Kishore Jena (87.54m), Shivpal Singh (86.23m), and Davinder Kang (84.57m).

From aspiring cricketer to a rising star in javelin, Sachin's journey has been nothing short of remarkable. Reflecting on his switch, he said, "I gave up cricket because I didn't see a future in it. There were players better than me, so I chose a sport where I could rely solely on myself."

He had a brilliant last season, setting a personal best of 82.69m at the Indian Grand Prix 1, where he clinched the gold medal. He followed it up with a second-place finish at the National Open Athletics Championships, registering a best throw of 79.80m.

However, his standout moment came at the All India Police Athletics Championships, where he unleashed a massive 84.21m throw. Unfortunately, since the competition isn't recognized by World Athletics, the mark didn't count officially.

Speaking about his previous personal best not being recognized by World Athletics, he said, "Yes, I did feel a bit disappointed that the mark wouldn't count. But my goal here was clear -I wanted to set a new personal best."

Sachin is ' 90m thrower'

Former national javelin record holder Rajender Singh, whose National Games meet record was broken by Sachin Yadav, confidently stated that Yadav is a 90m-plus thrower in the making.

"I'm expecting a 90m throw from Sachin Yadav this year. If he stays disciplined, he can become a consistent 90m-plus thrower. His height and weight give him a significant advantage, impacting both his strength and reach," Rajender told myKhel exclusively.

Rajender broke Anil Kumar Singh's seven-year-old national record in 2015 with an 82.23m throw, his personal best, at the National Games in Thiruvananthapuram and Neeraj bettered for the first time it in 2016. Currently he is a coach in Haryana Sports Department in Panchkula.

Just before the final event at the Ganga Athletics Stadium in Uttarakhand, javelin throwers were taking their trial throws. Suddenly, the entire stadium erupted in cheers-Sachin Yadav had crossed the 85m mark! Many spectators thought the competition had already begun, only to realize it was just a trial throw.

When asked about the moment, the Uttar Pradesh thrower said, "The moment I released that throw, my confidence skyrocketed -- I was determined to go beyond 85m today. But in my first attempt, my foot slipped, and fear crept in. I was worried about an ankle injury since I had hurt it just 10 days ago. It was so bad that I could barely walk."

Remarkably, Sachin has yet to compete in any international competitions, but this year, he's eyeing major events like the Asian Championships and World Championships. When asked about his targets, he humbly shared, 'I don't have a specific target in mind; I just want to give my best. No matter how far the throw goes, my focus remains on delivering my best performance."