India carried forward its hard-earned legacy in men’s javelin at the Asian Games, winning silver and bronze in Nagoya on Monday.
When the rain came down and the javelin runway turned treacherous, two young Indians stepped into the space left behind by Neeraj Chopra. Yashvir Singh won silver. Rohit Yadav took bronze. And for Indian javelin, it was another Asian Games double podium, three years after Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena had finished 1-2 in Hangzhou.
Asian Games 2026, September 28: Updates | Medal Tally
Even with Neeraj in the competition, it would probably have been a little too much to ask for him to defeat Rumesh Pathirage. The Sri Lankan star has been in the form of his life, and has produced perhaps the most dominant season in recent memory. He once again took the gold home, producing a monster 88.55m throw in difficult conditions at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium on Monday.
But this is not a story about Rumesh. You probably have heard enough of that this season. This is a story about the two young Indian javelin stars, who placed themselves on the podium on September 28.
And Neeraj is connected to both of them.
Neeraj Chopra was the first one to break the news to Yashvir Singh that he would be travelling to Japan for the Asian Games 2026. Yashvir, lying on his bed in Jaipur, jumped up when he heard that an injury had forced Neeraj to pull out of the season, and the great man himself was asking Yashvir to replace him at the Games.
In many ways, it was a passing of the baton to Yashvir, who had broken Neeraj’s U20 national record in 2021.
Meanwhile, Rohit’s story was much simpler. Having finished a disappointing 7th at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year, Rohit knew that he needed to step up in big competitions. He changed his training patterns, fixed his left knee brace and put in all the work needed for the Asian Games.
For an extra kick, he got his javelin signed by Neeraj, hoping that it would produce the magic.
THE IMPOSSIBLE CONDITIONS OF NAGOYA
It has been raining in Nagoya since the very start of the Asian Games. So it was not a surprise for the javelin throwers when they came out in the evening for the final of their event.
But what do you do? Rain is something that probably most javelin throwers are scared of. You do not get to throw the javelin properly. There is risk when you run in, and when you plant your foot for the final brace. Both Yashvir and Rohit had been wary of this, having suffered slips at the Commonwealth Games and Indian Athletics Grand Prix final earlier this month.
Both of them knew what they had to do.
Yashvir started extremely well, hitting 83.56m. He remained in the lead till the third attempt, when Rohit Yadav snatched it away from him with a throw of 84.35m.
Rohit’s fast arm speed kicked in when the runway was slippery, and provided him with a slight advantage going into the final three throws.
In comparison, Rumesh, the Diamond League champion, and Arshad Nadeem, the Olympic champion, struggled.
Rumesh, for the phenomenon he is, beat his poor start and put in a massive 88.33m throw in the fourth attempt. He had secured his gold. In these conditions, no one was going to beat him to that distance.
But Yashvir and Rohit tried. Both of Yashvir’s last two throws were beyond 85m, keeping him in second place, while Rohit struggled to hold his javelin properly. Rohit, known for his big final throws, saw the javelin slip from his hand in the last throw, resulting in him securing the bronze medal, his first in a major competition.
Rohit would later reveal that he was not happy with his attempts, but was glad to have the pressure off him after winning his first major international medal.
NEERAJ CHOPRA’S SUCCESSORS
For the last couple of years, the Indian javelin scene has had a simple question hanging over it. If not Neeraj, then who? Since Neeraj’s injury streak, the question has only grown louder.
And India got to see it first-hand in Nagoya. It might not have repeated what Neeraj and Kishore did in the last Asian Games, but Rohit and Yashvir made sure that very early in their careers, they made their presence felt.
Both have Neeraj’s blessings, and there is still a long way to go before either can be spoken of in the same breath as the man who changed Indian javelin forever.
But Nagoya offered an encouraging answer to the question that has been hanging over Indian javelin. India did not have Neeraj Chopra. It still had two javelins stars on the podium.
– Ends
