New Delhi, Oct. 28 -- Asian Para Games gold medallist Neeraj Yadav has allegedly died by suicide after consuming poison at his residence, with the accomplished para-athlete reportedly under emotional stress after a doping suspension ruled him out of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games earlier this month. His body was taken to a Delhi hospital for a postmortem examination on Wednesday. The circumstances surrounding his death are yet to be established.
S Satyanarayana, head coach of the Indian para-athletics team, confirmed the incident and said he had remained in touch with Yadav since the doping case came to light after the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Para Games.
"Neeraj has died by suicide. It is very unfortunate that such a thing has happened. I had a very close relationship with him. After his name came up in the doping case, I was constantly in touch with him," Satyanarayana said. Yadav, who competed in the F55 category, was serving a four-year suspension after testing positive for a banned substance. The ban also cost him the two gold medals (javelin and discus throw) he had won at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Para Games, along with the associated government cash reward and a prospective government job.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.