KIUG 2025: Judoka Jaanvi Yadav turns her father’s broken FD and a major setback into a remarkable gold medal comeback. (Image Credit: The Statesman)
Nineteen-year-old judoka Jaanvi Yadav delivered one of the most emotional stories of KIUG 2025 as she claimed the 48kg gold in Udaipur victory that signifies much more than a podium finish. For her family, it was a moment of redemption, courage and repayment of a heart-wrenching financial sacrifice.
Back in 2022–23, Jaanvi, along with many other school athletes, were cheated by a set of organisers who promised participation in the World School Gymnasiade in France.
Jaanvi’s visa never came. Her father’s Rs 2.5 lakh collected through a broken Fixed Deposit and personal loans never came back either, and this Delhi family, already stretched financially, waits to this day for a refund.
Yet, despite the emotional and financial wounds, her father, Uttam Singh, a courier company employee, refused to let the incident crush his daughter's career. His belief remained undeterred, and that silent support pushed Jaanvi back onto the mat.
Before that, in 2023, Jaanvi's journey had hit another major roadblock during the All-India Inter-University Championships in Amritsar, where she injured her left shoulder.
She had continued to compete through pain for months, winning bronze at the KIUG 2024, before finally undergoing surgery earlier this year.
Seven months later, she returned to not just compete but to win.
Jaanvi’s gold in Udaipur is her second consecutive KIUG medal after the bronze she won last year for Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU).
But despite her tender age, Jaanvi is already one of India’s most promising judokas:
A third-year BPES student from Dwarka, she trains at the Ramvir Solanki Club and has been consistently performing well in national and ASMITA League events.
For the Yadav family, the financial strain of sustaining a rising athlete is an undeniable fact. Jaanvi admits that the Khelo India stipend has been a godsend in tiding over nutrition, gear, and travel expenses, thereby not putting additional pressure on her parents.
"It has helped me avoid troubling them for every small need," she said, crediting the scheme for sustaining her momentum.
Fresh off the biggest comeback of her young career, Jaanvi now prepares for the Junior National Trials next month. Backed by renewed confidence, she now aims to rise further in the national ranks, fuelled by a promise she silently made to her family.
She didn't just win gold at the KIUG 2025. She honoured sacrifice, reclaimed a dream, and showed the world that resilience always runs deeper than any setback.
