Even after finishing fourth at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar in June with a throw of 77.68 metres, javelin thrower Anand Singh was all smiles, knowing he needed a little more effort to make his presence felt at the Asian U23 Athletics Championships in Ordos, China this month.
The 22-year-old achieved this by winning the javelin gold in China with a career-best 80.57m. He is now the sixth javelin thrower from Uttar Pradesh in India’s 80m-plus club. The others are Rohit Yadav, Sachin Yadav, Vipin Kasana, Shivpal Singh and Rishabh Nehra. Anand Singh has now set his sights higher.
Singh’s gold medal was India’s only win in an individual event as the country finished with 16 medals at the inaugural Asian meet. “Now, after breaching 80 metres, I would like to cross the 85m mark, which is my next dream,” he said on Wednesday.
“I am happy I could win gold in my very first international appearance. It’s a big boost to my confidence, and I will try to keep the momentum going,” said Singh, who returns to training at NIS Patiala. “Now, I have to aim for the World Championships and the next Olympics,” he added.
Singh, who hails from Kishun Devpur village in Azamgarh, feels he is a born athlete as his grandfather Brij Bahadur Singh was a volleyball player for the Railway Protection Force and his uncle Amarnath Singh also used to do javelin.
“Growing up I had no option but to play a sport and I chose javelin. After doing initial training at home, I left for Jaunpur to train under Rustam Khan before migrating to Mumbai for higher training with backing from Reliance Sports Foundation,” he said.
Singh, who started doing javelin in 2018, admired 2023 Asian Games silver medallist Kishore Jena. “He isn’t only my role model but also my guru, mentor and friend; I train alongside him. He keeps telling me so many things about the game.”
Singh’s progress has been rapid. When he recorded his personal best at Bhubaneswar, it showed he was closing the gap on India’s senior contenders. He also finished second at the Indian Open Throws Competition in Patiala with a 76.94m effort, showing consistent domestic form that earned him selection for the U23 squad.
Anand’s throw of 80.57m at China saw an improvement of 2.89m over his previous best, allowing him to enter the elite group of Indian throwers. Double Olympic and world medallist Neeraj Chopra’s national record though is 90.23m.
“Anand’s rise adds another talent to India’s pipeline in a discipline where the nation has enjoyed growing success. It strengthens UP’s reputation as a breeding ground for elite throwers,” said throwing coach Rustam Khan, who trains many elite throwers in the domestic circuit at Jaunpur.
“Anand’s season-on-season improvement has come from steadier technique and better competitive composure. It has enabled him to convert domestic form into a big throw on the international stage,” said Khan.
He felt that at 22 and steadily improving, singh’s focus will be on throwing consistently above 80m, refining technique, and aiming for higher marks at national and continental senior competitions. “If he sustains this upward trajectory, he could soon be competing for places on India’s senior teams at Asian and global meets, and challenging the 85m mark,” he added.
