India’s star javelin throwers Neeraj Chopra, Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh advanced to the men’s javelin throw final at the Commonwealth Games 2026 after successfully negotiating a challenging qualification round held in windy conditions in Glasgow on Thursday.
With difficult weather affecting performances, none of the athletes managed to breach the automatic qualifying mark of 84.00m. The finalists were instead determined based on the top 12 overall performances, with all three Indians making the cut.
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, returning to the Commonwealth Games after missing the Birmingham edition due to injury, qualified in fifth place with a best throw of 79.61m. After opening with 76.28m, Neeraj improved on his second attempt before opting to skip his final throw once qualification was secured.
Rohit Yadav also booked his place in the final with a consistent display. He registered 77.04m with his opening throw before improving to 78.37m on his second attempt, finishing ninth overall. Confident of progressing, he too chose not to take his final throw.
Yash Vir Singh completed India’s clean sweep by finishing 10th. He began with 73.89m before steadily improving through the round, producing his best effort of 78.36m on his third and final attempt to seal qualification.
Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage topped the qualification standings with a throw of 82.84m, followed by Grenada’s Anderson Peters (81.29m) and South Africa’s Douw Smit (80.64m). England’s Ben East also crossed the 80-metre mark with 80.38m to finish fourth.
Pakistan’s reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem qualified in seventh place with a best throw of 78.63m, while Australia’s Cameron McEntyre finished sixth with 78.91m.
Neeraj has been making a gradual return after battling a lower back injury sustained ahead of the 2025 World Athletics Championships, where he finished eighth. The injury delayed the start of his 2026 season, with his only appearance before the Commonwealth Games coming at the Doha Diamond League in June, where he threw 85.69m to finish fourth.
The men’s javelin final is scheduled for Friday, with India now having three medal contenders in one of the marquee athletics events of the Games.
(With agency inputs)
