LUCKNOW, Feb. 19 -- Bhadohi's Harsh Mishra was just 10 when ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra became the first post-Independence Indian Olympic medallist in athletics with a throw of 87.58m (287.3 ft) in his second attempt in August 2021. Mishra never thought of trying his hands on the iron rod then, until his father Nagendra Kumar Mishra put him under the training of Rustam Khan at the coach's own academy in Gyanpur near Varanasi in January 2024. Within three years of rigorous training, Harsh on Wednesday tasted his maiden success with a gold medal win at the 5th Uttar Pradesh Throw and Jump Championship in Prayagraj. The win wasn't easy for 16-year-old Mishra as first he had to appear in his Class 10 examination on Wednesday morning at the Gulabi Devi Bind Inter College near Lalla Nagar in Gyanpur and then travel to Prayagraj to showcase his skills before a huge crowd at the Madan Mohan Malviya Stadium. "I never wanted to miss the opportunity of winning my first medal in the state in the under-18 category, so I did everything for this. After writing my Hindi paper at 12.30pm, I started directly from my examination centre and reached the venue in Prayagraj at 2.30pm, before competing in the event at 4pm," said Mishra, who won the gold with a throw of 63.56 metre in his sixth attempt. Bulandsahr's Lucky Rana (59.65m) and Balrampur's Aman Kumar (48.67m) finished second and third, respectively. "Now, I am going back home as now I have to attempt my social science paper on Friday, but I am happy that all my efforts paid rich dividends," said Mishra, who now aims to win a medal at the nationals in future. "My father used to do javelin so he always wanted me to be a javelin thrower. I am happy that I could live up to the expectations," he said, adding, "It's all for my coach Rustam Sir also as he has been the biggest force behind my success."...