Indian athlete Ajeet Singh Yadav shone with a silver medal at the Paris Paralympics 2024. Late on the Tuesday-Wednesday night, the star claimed a silver medal in the javelin throw F46 final. Ajeet upstaged compatriot and world record holder Sundar Singh Gurjar (64.96m) with a fifth-round throw of 65.62m to achieve the glory. A podium finish at the sports’ biggest extravaganza was nothing short of a dream for Ajeet, who was certainly at the lowest point in his life seven years ago. He was 23 years old when an accident turned his life upside down.
It happened in the year 2017 when Ajeet was a research assistant at Laxmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE), Gwalior, says The Indian Express in a report.
Ajeet was returning from a marriage in Jabalpur. He and his junior Anshuman got off to a station to fetch water at a stop. The duo failed return in time and their train Kamayani Express started leaving the station with both of them still being on the platform.
In a rush, Ajeet managed to get into the train but his junior Anshuman fell from the stairs of the bogey. In an attempt to make the save, a selfless Ajeet got hold of Anshuman but forgot about himself. As a result, both of them fell off with the train catching speed. As fate would have it, Ajeet’s left arm below the elbow came under the wheels of the train.
“Ajeet sir tried to save me and while he got hold of me, he lost his balance and we both fell. But then he fell towards the train and his left arm came under the wheels. After going to the local hospital and then in Satna, we were referred to Jabalpur, where we got the treatment. Whenever I talked with him that he saved my life that day, Ajeet sir asks me not to speak and hugs me. Now that he will return with the silver medal, it will be my turn to hug him,” said Anshuman as quoted in that report.
Ajeet, who hails from a village near Etawah in Uttar Pradesh, was always passionate about javelin throw and he was good at it too. The accident in 2017 saw him get more serious and focussed in the sport. It was a misfortunate incident but Ajeet’s hard work and dedication saw him changing the tides in his favour.
Around four years after the incident, Ajeet finished at the 8th spot at the Tokyo Paralympics. After this, he was hit with an elbow injury, but a brilliant comeback saw Ajeet clinching the Para World title in Paris besides winning a bronze medal at Hangzhou Asian Games.
In 2024, Ajeet claimed a bronze at the world championships before shining with a silver at the Paris Paralympics.
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