GUWAHATI: Indian para-athlete Neeraj Yadav, a three-time Asian Para Games gold medallist, was found dead at his residence on Tuesday night, October 27. A post-mortem examination was underway at Delhi Hospital on Wednesday, October 28, while the circumstances surrounding his death remained unclear.
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S. Satyanarayana, head coach of the Indian para-athletics team, confirmed the incident, saying he had learnt of the tragedy. “Neeraj has died by suicide. It is very unfortunate that such a thing has happened,” Satyanarayana said.
The 42-year-old Yadav, who competed in the F55 category, had missed the Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya earlier this month reportedly due to a doping suspension. He was reportedly under emotional stress following the suspension, although the circumstances surrounding his death have not been established.
Yadav won a gold medal in javelin at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta. At the 2023 edition in Hangzhou, he won gold medals in the javelin and discus events. However, the two medals were subsequently stripped following an anti-doping case after a sample tested positive for a banned substance. He was also denied the government’s cash reward following the doping violation.
Commenting on the incident, Satyanarayana said he could not speculate on the exact reason behind Yadav’s death.
Yadav was diagnosed with post-polio residual paralysis at the age of seven. He began his sporting career in wheelchair tennis before moving to para-athletics, competing in the F55 category in seated field events such as shot put, discus and javelin.
