Anushka Yadav breaks nine-year-old national record
Uttar Pradesh athlete Anushka Yadav, aged 18, shattered the women's hammer throw national record with a throw of 67.02m on the opening day of the National Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. She surpassed the previous record of 65.25m set by Sarita Singh in 2017, a mark that had stood for nine years.
Ambition to elevate hammer throw's profile
Anushka expressed her desire to bring hammer throw to the same level of recognition as javelin throw in India, which gained massive popularity due to two-time Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra. "Not many people know hammer throw in India, but everybody knows javelin throw. I want people to know hammer throw just like javelin throw," she said after her record-breaking performance.
Hailing from a farming family in Baleni village, Baghpat district, Anushka aims for a gold medal at the upcoming Asian Games and hopes to cross the 70m mark soon. "I am looking for a gold in the upcoming Asian Games and hoping to cross the 70m mark in the near future," she stated.
Performance and Asian Games prospects
Anushka's throw of 67.02m improved her personal best by over four meters from 62.89m, which earned her gold at the National Games last year. She has already surpassed the Asian Games qualifying mark of 61.72m set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). At the 2022 Asian Games in China, the bronze medal throw was 64.14m, while silver and gold were 69.44m and 71.53m respectively. Currently, she ranks 11th among Asian hammer throwers this season, with China's Jie Zhao leading at 78.22m.
Historical context of hammer throw in India
Hammer throw has traditionally been an obscure event in India, with limited international success. At the 1951 Asian Games, Somanth Chopra and Kishen Singh won silver and bronze. Praveen Kumar Sobti earned a bronze in 1966 and a Commonwealth Games silver the same year. Nirmal Singh Grewal bagged a silver in 1974. Among women, Manju Bala is the only Asian Games medalist, winning bronze in 2014.
Overcoming injury and early career
Anushka's season was nearly derailed by a knee ligament tear suffered while operating a tractor on her family farm in March. "I was working at our village farm with my father and brother. My father asked me to help him till the field with the tractor and I got injured," she recalled. Fortunately, her recovery was quick, though the injury delayed her season start. She trains under her father Sushil Yadav, a former hammer thrower, along with coaches Chirag Yadav and Gagan Yadav.
Initially interested in 100m, Anushka switched to hammer throw at her father's insistence when she was 12. "My father was a hammer thrower himself...he married young and quit the sport. He made me play hammer. I used to do 100m. But after 6-7 months, my father asked me to quit running and pursue hammer," she explained.
Inspiration from seniors and training group
Anushka trains alongside other top hammer throwers like Tanya Chaudhary, who finished second on Tuesday with 61.70m. "Tanya Chaudhary is there. She is senior to me. Everyone in our group is good. We get inspiration from our seniors. There are boys too, juniors and seniors," Anushka said.
