Asian Para Games gold medalist Neeraj Yadav dies by suicide
What's the story
Neeraj Yadav, the celebrated Indian athlete who won gold at the Asian Para Games, has died by suicide. The 42-year-old reportedly consumed poison. A postmortem examination is currently being conducted at a hospital in Delhi to determine the exact cause of death. S Satyanarayana, the Indian para-athletics team head coach, confirmed this unfortunate news and said that Yadav's body is still at the hospital.
Emotional turmoil
Yadav missed out on Asian Para Games
Yadav, who competed in the F55 category, was said to be emotionally disturbed after missing the Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya earlier this month. His absence was due to a doping suspension.
The coach further added that while he can't pinpoint an exact reason for Yadav's decision, it's unfortunate that he took such an extreme step.
Athletic career
Yadav won three gold medals at the Asian Para Games
Despite being diagnosed with post-polio residual paralysis at the age of seven, Yadav made a name for himself in international para-athletics.
He won three gold medals at the Asian Para Games, one in javelin at Jakarta 2018 and two more in javelin and discus at Hangzhou 2023.
He had initially taken up wheelchair tennis before switching to para-athletics, where he excelled globally.
Ban
Why his gold medals were taken away
Neeraj Yadav was stripped of his two 2023 Asian Para Games gold medals due to a doping violation.
A drug test that happened outside of any competition revealed traces of stanozolol, a prohibited anabolic steroid, in his system.
Thereafter, the Asian Paralympic Committee disqualified his achievements, imposed a four-year competitive ban, and withheld over ₹3 crore in state reward.