Sahil Silwal ready to follow in Neeraj Chopra’s footsteps

But unfair to compare youngsters with Olympic champion

He is lean and tall and has a sort of lost look about him. But Sahil Silwal could be the future of Indian javelin throw, the best of the rest behind Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra.

The 20-year-old from Haryana was fourth in the 2018 under-20 Worlds in Finland with 72.83m but now has made better progress than all the medallists there. Sahil’s personal best 80.65m, in Patiala in March, makes him India’s third best thrower this year, behind Neeraj and Shivpal Singh.

“Neeraj has motivated us with his gold. I train with him and when somebody like him wins medals, it lifts us all,” said Sahil in a chat with The Hindu during the National Open where he won with 77.79m.