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Neeraj Chopra won silver, Yash Vir Singh bronze in Javelin at 2026 Commonwealth Games. Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage of Sri Lanka took gold.
India’s Neeraj Chopra competes in the Men’s Javelin Throw Final at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
India’s Neeraj Chopra came second to win the silver medal in the 2026 Commonwealth Games Javelin Final with a season-best throw of 85.83m, while Yash Vir Singh threw a personal best of 85.41m in his final throw of the day to win Bronze and make it two representatives from the country on the podium in Glasgow.
Competing in cold and windy conditions, Neeraj managed a season-best throw of 85.83m but could not match the brilliance of Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who claimed gold with a superb 89.75m effort. Yashvir, meanwhile, scripted the performance of his career by launching a personal-best 85.41m with his sixth and final throw to snatch bronze on his Commonwealth Games debut.
The result ensured athletes from the Indian subcontinent swept all three medals, with Pakistan’s defending champion and reigning Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem crashing out in the preliminary round with a best throw of just 77.41m.
Returning after a long lay-off due to a persistent lower back injury, Neeraj looked fluent but not at his best — the conditions didn’t help — yet delivered another medal for India. The Tokyo Olympic champion opened with 80.97m before improving to 85.83m in his second attempt, briefly moving into the lead.
However, Pathirage responded immediately with the competition-winning 89.75m throw, narrowly missing the coveted 90m mark. Remarkably, all five of the Sri Lankan’s remaining attempts were fouls, as he, too, struggled to cross even 80 metres against the gust.
Neeraj was the most consistent. His subsequent throws measured 81.29m and 80.73m before he finished with two fouls. His silver came with a season-best mark, marginally better than the 85.69m he managed while finishing fourth at the Doha Diamond League in June.
The biggest surprise came from 24-year-old Yashvir. The Indian youngster was languishing in seventh place heading into the final round, with his best effort of 81.33m coming in the third attempt. Under pressure, he unleashed a massive throw of 85.41m on his final attempt to leap onto the podium and improve his personal best by nearly two metres.
The third Indian in the field, Rohit Yadav, finished seventh with a best throw of 81.56m, while reigning world champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago ended sixth with 82.55m.
For Neeraj, it marked a second Commonwealth Games medal after his historic gold at Gold Coast in 2018, while Yashvir announced himself on the international stage with the biggest result of his career.
August 01, 2026, 02:14 IST
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