Glasgow, July 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, along with fellow Indians Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh, advanced to the men’s javelin throw final at the 2026 Commonwealth Games after successfully negotiating the qualification round on Thursday.
Competing in challenging windy conditions, none of the athletes managed to breach the automatic qualification mark of 84.00 metres. The finalists were instead decided based on the 12 best performances, with all three Indian throwers securing their places in Friday’s medal event.
Neeraj, making his Commonwealth Games return after missing the Birmingham edition because of injury, finished fifth in the qualification standings with a best throw of 79.61 metres, achieved on his second attempt. Having secured qualification, he chose not to take his final throw.
Rohit Yadav also skipped his final attempt after recording 78.37 metres to finish ninth, while Yash Vir Singh qualified in 10th place with a best effort of 78.36 metres.
Neeraj has been managing a lower back injury since September 2025. The Olympic and World Championships gold medallist sustained the injury shortly before last year’s World Athletics Championships, where he finished eighth. After delaying the start of his 2026 season, he returned to competition at the Doha Diamond League in June, placing fourth with a throw of 85.69 metres.
Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage topped the qualification standings with a throw of 82.84 metres. Grenada’s two-time world champion Anderson Peters finished second with 81.29 metres, while South Africa’s Douw Smit claimed third place with 80.64 metres.
England’s Ben East finished fourth with 80.38 metres. Australia’s Cameron McEntyre was sixth with 78.91 metres, while reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem registered a season-best throw of 78.63 metres to qualify in seventh place.
Also progressing to the final were Keyshawn Strachan of the Bahamas, Keshorn Walcott and Chinecherem Nnamdi.
FOLLOW NOW
