Para-Athletics Champion Neeraj Yadav Dies as Police Investigate Circumstances

At 42, Neeraj Yadav, one of India’s leading para-athletes, has died in Delhi in what reports describe as an alleged suicide. India’s para-athletics head coach, S. Satyanarayana, confirmed his death on Wednesday, but the circumstances were still being investigated. Police said Yadav was found unconscious beside his car near Maujpur Metro station on Tuesday night and was declared dead at the hospital. ^1,4

Maujpur was where a woman who had travelled with Yadav found him, according to her account to police. She said she had met him in Sonipat on Tuesday to tell him she could no longer stay in contact, and that he later drove her to Delhi. Around 9 p.m., she became concerned when he did not answer her calls, found him near his car and took him to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital. Police have begun investigating his death. ^5,7

That investigation follows a career marked by a sharp rise and a serious setback. Diagnosed with lasting paralysis from polio at seven, Yadav first played wheelchair tennis, then switched to para-athletics. He won the F55 javelin at the 2018 Asian Para Games with an Asian-record throw, then took javelin and discus gold at the 2023 Games. A doping ban later kept him out of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games; reports say a test found stanozolol, and his 2023 medals were taken away. ^1,13

The suspension is part of the story, not a confirmed explanation for his death. Satyanarayana said he could not know the exact reason, and reports say police have not established the circumstances. Yadav also ran an online sports academy in Sonipat and is survived by his wife and young daughter. Delhi Police are continuing their inquiry under Section 194 of the BNSS. ^3,5