Javelin’s Next Gen: Yashvir follows in Neeraj’s footsteps

India’s newest entrant within the 80m membership, javelin thrower Yashvir Singh’s father Rai initially didn’t need his son to pursue athletics. When Yashvir was round 12, the household moved from Bhiwani to Delhi in order that he could possibly be admitted to a personal college and progress academically.

“Someone told me that the school produced a lot of CBSE toppers so we sent him there,” says Rai. But Yashvir not solely did not make progress however barely cleared his exams. Both Yashvir and his father had been satisfied it was time to return to what he was good at – sports activities.

“Padai hui nahi, aur sports toh khun mein heen hai. (He couldn’t do much in academics but he’s got sports in his genes),” says Rai, a former national-level athlete who’s now a coach.

Yashvir, who breached the 80m mark on the Indian Grand Prix final month, belongs to the brand new crop of expertise. Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, who’s now 24, is at a special degree altogether. He breached the 80-mark when he was simply 17 again in 2015. With Shivpal Singh (private greatest 86m) and Davinder Singh (84.57m) having their run-ins with dope suspensions, the main focus has shifted to the youthful crop – Sahil Silwal, Rohit Yadav, DP Manu and Yashvir.

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“It is really a great thing for javelin throw in India. You really need good competition to bring out the best in you. Off the field, we all are really good friends but on it, we are fierce competitors,” says Yashvir who recorded his private better of 82.13m only a fortnight in the past in Bhubaneswar.

Yashvir with father Rai Singh

Yashvir first got here into limelight when he rewrote Neeraj’s U- 20 Fed Cup meet file final yr with a 78.68m throw. He was distraught at lacking the 80m again then.

“Breaching the 80m mark was very important to me,” Yashvir says as his father shakes his head in disapproval. Coach Rai, who has increased expectations from his son, dismisses 80m as “just a number”.

“I recently got a call from someone congratulating me for Yashvir’s entry into the 80m club. But it’s no big deal,” says the exhausting taskmaster.

When Yashvir realised that teachers weren’t his cup of tea, he returned to Jaipur the place his Railways worker father is now settled. “I initially played basketball just to get fit and then started off with a bamboo javelin. Once I picked up the technique, I switched to a standard javelin,” he says.

‘Nothing special’

Yashvir and his father don’t prefer to complicate issues. The duo believes in a easy motto: “hard work yields results”.

“There is nothing special in our training. We spend a lot of time training, and eat right. When I was an athlete, I made a lot of mistakes and I just ensure that my son doesn’t go down the same road,” says Rai.

Yashvir says his father is a contact “harsh” throughout coaching and doesn’t maintain again in giving him an earful when he errs. “Bahut gali padti hai. (He scolds me a lot). But that’s only during training and only for practice. Otherwise, he never yells at me for anything. He’s a very nice person,” he says whereas exchanging a fast look together with his father sitting subsequent to him.

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Rai admits he’s a tricky taskmaster however feels his son wants a dose once in a while. “I have to do it. I have to correct my son. He couldn’t do well in academics and now sports is the only option he has and we can’t be lax in any way.”

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Yashvir feels his arm energy and explosive launch set him aside from different throwers. “I also have a good run-up, good release angle,” he provides. Any weak areas? “None,” he replies with a cheeky smile.

“He needs to improve his throwing speed,” his father provides rapidly.

Having already made the lower for the Commonwealth Games, Yashvir is now concentrating on a throw near 85 metres (qualification mark for the World Championships) on the Interstate Meet.

“It (85m) isn’t a huge thing. We have been training well and I am pretty confident. Maybe I will land that mark here in Chennai itself,” he says.