After U-18 Asian glory, Neeraj Chopra fan Himanshu Jakhar eyes Khelo India Youth Games in Bihar

New Delhi, April 19 (IANS) Himanshu Jakhar, who created history after becoming the first Indian to clinch gold in men’s javelin throw at the U-18 Asian Athletics Championships in Dammam, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, will be a major attraction at the upcoming Khelo India Youth Games in Bihar scheduled from May 4 to 15.

Himanshu, who hails from Salahawas village in Jhajjar district of Haryana, clinched the yellow metal with a massive throw of 67.57 metres much ahead of China’s Lu Hao (63.45m) and Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Sadullaev (61.96m). His father Dalbir and mother Reena are farmers.

The 17-year-old Himanshu Jakhar picked up a javelin just five years back, training in his home village initially before shifting to the SAI Centre in Hisar. Talking to SAI Media from Saudi Arabia, Himanshu said that his next target is the Khelo India Youth Games in Bihar.

“It has been a wonderful experience to be able to win gold for the country here. But it was a lot of hard work along with my coaches to reach this far. I have been training at the SAI Centre in Hisar under coach Arvind for the last 2-3 years and with better coaching, better equipment, better ground and gym etc, I was able to make the country proud. My next target is now to attract the talent scouts at the Khelo India Youth Games and then Junior Nationals,” Himanshu said.

“Khelo India is a great initiative of the Government of India and a platform like this is essential for individuals in my age group to slowly make a contribution towards the nation,” he added.

Himanshu, whose previous personal best in 700gm javelin throw was 74.56m achieved at the National Junior Athletics Championships in December 2024, sees Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra as his inspiration.

“He (Neeraj Chopra) is an inspiration to not just me but the entire country. What he has achieved for India does not happen every day. What I like about his is his work ethic, dedication and humility despite earning so much fame. I always try to learn how he conducts himself during competitions, how he greets his competitors, how he keeps himself so cool during pressure situations,” he said.

--IANS

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