Neeraj Yadav Biography: Age, Early Life, Career, Medals and Achievements

Neeraj Yadav, an Indian para-athlete from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh has gained recognition after his success in para-athletics, especially in the javelin throw and discus throw. He managed to win three gold medals in the Asian Para Games of 2018 and 2022, with the 2022 edition held in Hangzhou, October 2023.

As stated in the reference above, Neeraj Yadav passed away on 28 October 2026 in Delhi, aged 42 years. Neeraj Yadav’s career in sports began with wheelchair tennis before joining para-athletics.

Neeraj Yadav: Background Information

Information	Details
Full name	Neeraj Yadav
Date of birth	10 February 1984
Age at the time of passing	42 years
Place of birth	Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Nationality	Indian
Career	Para-athlete
Games played	Para athletics; foemrly engaged in wheelchair tennis
Competition Events Part of	Javelin throw, discus throw and shot put
Category of the Sport	F55
Key accomplishment	Winner of the Gold medal in the Men’s F55 javelin throw category at the 2018 Asian Para Games

In 2018, Neeraj Yadav achieved a significant milestone in his career when he was recognized on the international stage at the Asian Para Games in Jakarta, where he won the two gold medals in the competition.

Nevertheless, his future results came with an important clarification: news had been circulating as of October 2026 that two gold medals that Yadav had won at the Asian Para Games held in Hangzhou in 2026 were revoked due to an anti-doping case.

Neeraj Yadav’s Childhood and Physical Challenges

Neeraj Yadav was born with post-polio residual paralysis when he was seven years old. Despite the physical disabilities due to the disorder, he was involved in competitive sports and first played wheelchair tennis.

He was a player in wheelchair tennis from 2005 to 2012. It is reported that his involvement in the sport was interrupted by financial constraints, after which he turned to para-athletics and became a successful field-event player.

Neeraj Yadav’s Career Path in Athletics

Date	Career path in sports
2005-2012	Played wheelchair tennis.
2015	Gold medals in shot put, javelin throw, and discus throw at the Delhi State Athletics Meet.
2016	Silver medals in shot put and discus throw at the Fazza Grand Prix.
2018	Won gold in men’s F55 javelin throw at the Asian Para Games in Jakarta with an Asian-record throw of 29.84 metres.
2022	Obtained gold in the Para Athletics Grand Prix in Marrakech, Morocco, as per published sources.
2023	Gold medals in javelin throw and discus throw at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games.
2023-2026	Anti-doping case leading to his suspension in which he could not participate in the 2026 Asian Para Games.
28 October 2026	It was reported he was died by suicide

Neeraj Yadav’s Asian Para Games Medals

Yadav earned international fame in the 2018 Asian Para Games at Jakarta, winning the gold medal for the men’s F55 javelin throw in an Asian-record performance, achieving a distance of 29.84 meters.

In the Hangzhou Asian Para Games held in the October 2023 after the postponement of the initially planned 2022 tournament, Yadav won two gold medals. However, those two victories were subsequently revoked due to doping.

Year	Host city	Event	Original result	Subsequent status
2018	Jakarta, Indonesia	Men’s javelin throw, F55	Gold	Asian-record performance of 29.84 meters
2023	Hangzhou, China	Men’s discus throw, F54/55/56	Gold	Result subsequently revoked
2023	Hangzhou, China	Men’s javelin throw, F55	Gold	Result subsequently revoked

Since the Hangzhou tournament is usually referred to as 2022 Asian Para Games despite being held in 2023, Yadav’s three-gold original achievement must be presented along with the subsequent revocation of two Hangzhou medals.