On the final day of the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships at Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Stadium, Rohit Yadav climbed to second place on the global top list for the men’s javelin throw in 2026 with a massive 87.05-meter effort. With the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games approaching, javelin experts worldwide have now turned their attention to him. The 25-year-old international javelin thrower from Uttar Pradesh secured the gold medal by hurling the javelin 87.05 meters in his final attempt.
Surpassing Neeraj Chopra on the Global List
With Sunday’s performance, Rohit Yadav has become the leading Indian javelin thrower of the season and has moved to the second spot on the global top list, trailing only Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (92.62 meters). Two-time Olympic and World medalist Neeraj Chopra currently sits in fourth place on the global list with a throw of 85.69 meters.
This marks Rohit Yadav’s best performance to date; his previous personal best was 83.04 meters, set in 2023. The 87.05-meter throw also surpassed the meet record of 84.35 meters established by Manu DP in 2022.
Hopes Rise for Commonwealth Games and Asian Games
“Today’s performance is a huge confidence booster ahead of major competitions like the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games in Japan,” said the 25-year-old international thrower. “I was clearing distances of 86 and 87 meters in practice but wasn’t able to replicate that in competition, which used to be very disheartening. However, I am happy to have set a new benchmark in a competitive setting.” Rohit Yadav’s series in Bhubaneswar went as follows: 77.71m, 77.63m, no mark, 77.51m, 79.40m, and 87.05m. The javelin thrower from Uttar Pradesh says, “I managed to achieve a throw of 87.05m in my final attempt because I found a good rhythm.”
Rohit Yadav adds, “To perform at an optimum level in the future, I need to get into the habit of crossing the 85m or 86m mark in my early throws.” Apart from Rohit Yadav, Yashvir Singh (83.72m) and Sachin Yadav (82.32m) finished second and third, respectively; both have also achieved the 77.87m qualification mark for the Asian Games in Japan.