LUCKNOW Young hammer thrower Anushka Yadav and Tanya Chaudhary have turned a neighbourhood rivalry into a talking point with their duel set to take place at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
The two athletes, who grew up in the same locality and began training on the same ground at Sri Krishna Inter College in Baleni village in Baghpat, have pushed each other ever since.
Anushka announced herself on the national stage in June when she heaved the hammer to a then-record 67.02m at the Inter State National Championships, rewriting the national best and putting Baleni on the athletics map.
That achievement spurred a response as just before leaving for Japan, Tanya surpassed Anushka with a throw of 68.35m at the Indian Athletics Series Final in New Delhi on Thursday, lifting the national record and turning their friendship into rivalry.
The distances tell a clear story as every mark is not only a measure of strength and technique but also proof of two athletes sharpening one another. Anushka’s performance in June prompted Tanya to adjust her training and Tanya’s new national record has again raised the bar. “Anushka keeps me inspired to do my best so that I can break her record next time,” Tanya said.
Their relationship is built on mutual encouragement. “It’s a healthy rivalry,” Tanya said, recalling Anushka’s playful challenge: “Didi, you set the record, I’ll break it.” Tanya added she is fully recovered after three consecutive injuries and is confident about her prospects in Japan.
Their preparation has been relentless, training every morning on the rough turf of Sri Krishna Inter College, drilling footwork, grip, and rhythm with afternoons of strength work, including occasional technical sessions with visiting coaches.
Lacking high-end equipment, they compensate with repetition, critique, and a shared determination. They watch each other’s footwork, point out flaws, celebrate small improvements, and in the evenings rewrite training plans and dream about podiums.
“She treats me like her elder sister and I treat her like a younger one,” Tanya said. “When I go to the ground, I keep Anushka’s record in mind and it helps me do better. We’re both happy when either of us breaks the other’s record.”
Now roommates and travelling together with the Indian contingent, the pair will carry their camaraderie and rivalry to Japan. “We would both be happy if either of us win medals,” Tanya said. “We want our tricolour to fly at the podium.”
On breaking the national record and that too just before the Asian Games, Tanya admitted that she was chasing Anushka desperately and it was a great motivation to her.
“Anushka’s mark was a big motivation as I had been chasing the previous national record for three years and when Anushka broke it in Bhubaneswar, I told myself and I have a new target now,” she said.
“My previous personal best was 63.91m. I have done 65m-plus 2-3 times at the inter‑university level, but those were not official. Now I am able to do it and it’s a new beginning. Normally, I used to be nervous. But I was focused on my technique yesterday.
“I used to visualise the national record, but achieving it at such a crucial point is important. My official personal best was 63.91m, but I had crossed the 65m mark unofficially at the All India University Games.”
Tanya was delighted to have matched the expectations of the Athletics Federation of India after missing the qualifying mark for the Asian Games earlier. “I missed the qualification mark by just two centimetres, and when the AFI later added my name to the squad I felt even more motivated. I will have tough competition especially from Chinese throwers and Anushka but I will look to target gold at the Asian Games.”