India's top para athlete Neeraj Yadav allegedly commits suicide

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Asian Para Games gold medal winner Neeraj Yadav has allegedly died by suicide after consuming poison at his residence.

The postmortem examination is underway at a hospital in Delhi.

The head coach of the Indian para-athletics team, S Satyanarayana, confirmed the incident by saying that he had learnt about Yadav’s death. He also said that the para athlete’s body is still at the hospital.

“Neeraj has died by suicide. It is very unfortunate that such a thing has happened,” said the head coach.

According to reports, the 42-year-old para athlete was under emotional stress after missing the Asian Para Gams in Aichi-Nagoya this month. Yadav, who competed in the F55 category, was suspended due to a doping case. The circumstances surrounding his death are yet to be established, but it is learnt that the athlete consumed poison.

STORY | Top para athlete Neeraj Yadav dies by suicide Asian Para Games gold medallist Neeraj Yadav has allegedly died by suicide after consuming poison at his residence, with a postmortem examination underway at a Delhi hospital on Wednesday. S Satyanarayana, head coach of the Indian para-athletics team, confirmed the incident, saying he had learnt of the tragedy but that Yadav’s body was still at the hospital. READ: https://t.co/Ye3jUCu4rh

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Satyanarayana then said that the athlete should face highs and lows in his career, and it is unfortunate that Yadav took the extreme step.

“I can’t speculate the exact reason but if you ask me, I would say a sportsperson should face the highs and lows with equanimity. It’s unfortunate that he chose this far and take the extreme step,” he said.

In his career, Yadav clinched three gold medals at the Asian Para Games, which included the javelin throw title in the 2018 edition and javelin and discus throw titles in 2023 edition of the continental event.

After the NADA report reached WADA, the two gold medals he won at 2023 Hangzhou Asian Para Games were stripped of by the Asian Paralympic Committee. Since he tested positive for a banned substance, he also did not get the cash reward from the government.

Diagnosed with post-polio residual paralysis at the age of seven, Yadav initially took up wheelchair tennis before switching to para-athletics, where he went on to make his mark on the international stage.

He competed in the F55 category, which covers seated field events, including the shot put, discus and javelin.

(With PTI Inputs)

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