Who is Shivam Lokhare? All you need to know about latest Indian javelin thrower to go past 80m mark

Shivam Lokhare won the silver medal at the Indian Open 2025.

Javelin thrower Shivam Lokhare has grabbed headlines after he finished second in the Indian Open 2025. The World Athletics Bronze Level Continental Tour meet took place on August 10 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

Lokhare’s throw was measured at over 80m, and he became the latest Indian entrant to go past this mark. So far, 16 athletes from the country have thrown over 80m in the men’s javelin throw event.

Also Read: List of athletes to cross 90m mark in men’s javelin throw

Who is Shivam Lokhare?

Shivam Lokhare comes from a village called Sonai in Maharashtra. In his childhood, Lokhare used to work in the fields and help his parents, who are farmers. The 20-year-old tried his hand at long jump, kabaddi, and kho kho before taking up javelin in the sixth grade after a suggestion from his PT teacher.

Lokhare took part in a district-level tournament in the ninth grade. His interest in the sport further grew in 2021 when he was inspired by javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra‘s gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. He then moved to Pune and trained at Sanas ground for eight months.

In April 2022, Shivam Lokhare finished with a gold medal at the Maharashtra junior state meet with a throw of 62.48m in Pune. He was then asked by Kashinath Naik, who once coached Chopra, whether he wanted to train under him at the Army Sports Institute (ASI).

Later in the same year, he impressed by bagging a silver medal at the National Junior Athletics Championships in Guwahati with his throw of 70.03m. After completing one year of training at ASI, Lokhare became a Havaldar in the Mahar Regiment in 2023.

Shivam Lokhare’s journey before the 1st Indian Open 2025

Shivam Lokhare stunned a strong field when he threw 73.82m to clinch the gold medal at the U20 Athletics Championships in April 2023, which took place in Tiruvannamalai.

The breakthrough moment in Lokhare’s career came when he won the silver medal at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships. He achieved the feat with his throw of 72.34m. The National Games 2023 in Bambolim saw Lokhare finish fifth with his best attempt of 76.92m.

Also Read: Neeraj Chopra’s top five career best throws in men’s javelin

Shivam Lokhare secured a gold medal at the Indian Grand Prix 3 event in Bengaluru in May 2024, with his throw of 76.19m. However, the injury concerns affected the rest of his year, as he didn’t have a podium finish in the next two events.

The National Games 2025 in Dehraun witnessed Shivam finishing fifth with a throw of 76.45m. He then won gold at the Indian Open Athletics Meet 2025 in Ranchi with a throw of 71.52m. The National Federation Senior Athletics Competition in 2025 saw the young javelin star return with a fifth-place finish at 76.75m.

Shivam Lokhare produced his personal best performance of 80.95m throw at the Indian Open Athletics Meet in Pune. The performances certainly infused confidence in him, as he achieved the feat whilst battling an ankle issue.

How did Shivam Lokhare fare at the Indian Open 2025?

Shivam Lokhare won the silver medal at the Indian Open 2025 in Bhubaneswar with his best throw of 80.73m. His attempts were read as: 77.69m, 78.83m, 77.93m, 80.73m, 79.35m, and one foul. Notably, Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga secured a gold with an 86.50m throw.

Lokhare is currently at the 95th position in the Road to Tokyo rankings with 1,049 points. A strong performance at the interstate competition later this month won’t benefit his cause, as he’s not in contention to qualify for the World Athletics Championships 2025.

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