Who is Neeraj Joshi? All you need to know about the wushu player who brought glory to Uttarakhand at National Games 2025

At the 38th National Games held in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, rising wushu star Neeraj Joshi caught the limelight with a silver medal, displaying his immense potential. Notably, Neeraj had a rollercoaster journey before reaching this milestone.

Hailing from Halswani, Uttarakhand, Neeraj is the son of a farmer Rajesh Ballabh Joshi. Rajesh supported his family through agriculture and despite limited resources, his son Neeraj dreamt of making a career in wushu from a young age. He went on to train in Dehradun and has been training for the past eight years.

However, Neeraj faced a lot of difficulties financially and suffered from repeated injuries, which had an effect on his career. In 2022, Neeraj Joshi had a major setback, suffering a broken leg.

Though he had thoughts of quitting the sport, he received immense support from his family and coach, which helped him to make a strong comeback.

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A look at Neeraj Joshi's past achievements

At the All India University Games 2023, he went on to secure the gold medal. However, due to inadequate facilities, he failed to create an impact at the National Games 2023 in Goa, finishing in the fifth spot.

Neeraj has credited the Uttarakhand government’s initiatives like cash rewards and government jobs, which helped the state’s young athletes like him to boost their morale. He believes the support and facilities provided by the government were the reasons behind the growth of athletes in the state.

Thanks to these initiatives by the state government, Neeraj Joshi went on to compete at the 38th National Games’ wushu event and bagged a silver medal.

"The financial incentives and government job policies introduced by the Uttarakhand government have given a new direction to athletes. This will encourage the younger generation to take up sports, helping Uttarakhand gain recognition at both national and international levels,” Neeraj stated.