Although Rohan Yadav, Rohit’s younger brother, took home the gold at the SAFF meet, he wasn’t satisfied with his performance.
When 16-year-old javelin athlete Rohan Yadav posted a video of himself taking enormous strides and throwing a gigantic 69 meters during a training session, it went popular on the social media site X last year.
A throw of little over 69 meters (69.22 meters) was made by Rohan in September 2024 at the fourth South Asian Athletics Championships in Chennai, ensuring a gold medal for the men’s javelin.But he didn’t seem to have reached his full ability because he appeared obviously upset after every throw. Maybe that was the message he was trying to get through, since his personal best was somewhat better than what he could do at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
When Rohan won silver in the Asian Under-20 Athletics Championships in Dubai in April of this year, he threw a 70.03-meter personal best.
The young man regretted how his training time was limited by the hectic schedule he had to follow before the competition.After competing in the World Athletics Championships in Peru (last month), I became ill when I got home. My confidence was poor as I couldn’t practice for a period of 15–17 days. However, I gained a lot of confidence from the coach, the team, and my family. That gave me a lot of motivation and enabled me to accomplish what I achieved,” he stated.
Rohan started playing the sport back in 2020 during the testing lockdown, so he didn’t have to hunt for inspiration from anybody else. In the javelin fraternity, his older brother Rohit Yadav is a well-known asset. In 2022, Rohit qualified for the World Athletics Championships in Oregon and made it to the finals. However, an injury forced him to withdraw from the tournament last year.
Rohan, 18, credits his sibling for his quick climb through the ranks in such a short period. “My brother faced hardships; on the other hand, I received a lot of support from my family. We obtained any equipment we needed quickly. We began practising with bamboo sticks, particularly my brother, although I had no difficulty. “I want to give something back to them and my country,” he explained.
“The AFI has also helped me immensely, and that’s one of the major reasons I was able to progress faster,” he told me.
Rohan, dubbed the “Next Neeraj Chopra” by netizens, has been under a cloud of popularity on social media. Despite the virtual vehemence, he attempts to remain modest.In addition, Rohan believes that since Neeraj entered the global scene, the infrastructure in Jaunpur, an Uttar Pradesh village that is his homeland, has significantly improved. He was able to acquire a position at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports in Patiala, where he presently trains, by demonstrating consistent achievement in the recent past.
“There weren’t many easily accessible facilities when I first started practicing. It has significantly improved since Neeraj bhaiya is performing well in the Olympics, Asian Games, and Diamond League, which inspires athletes like myself. It gives us hope that we may accomplish something similar,” Rohan remarked.
In the long run, Rohan wants to win an Olympic gold, but his primary focus for now is on learning how to deal with the pressure that comes with celebrity.
