Neeraj Chopra, Rohit Yadav & Yash Vir Singh qualify for men's javelin final at Commonwealth Games 2026
Neeraj Chopra secured fifth place in the qualifying round with a throw of 79.61m.
India’s Neeraj Chopra, Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh all booked their places in the men’s javelin throw final at the Commonwealth Games 2026 after finishing among the top 12 in the qualification round at Scotstoun Stadium on Thursday.
The automatic qualification standard was set at 84.00m, but none of the 18 athletes reached this mark. Therefore, the final lineup was determined based on the 12 best-performing athletes.
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World-leading Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage of Sri Lanka topped the qualification standings with a best throw of 82.84m, underlining the form that has made him one of the favourites for gold in Glasgow.
Since returning from injury, Neeraj’s performance has certainly been effortless, even if not spectacular. After opening with 76.28m, the Tokyo Olympic champion improved to 79.61m with his second throw to move safely into the qualification positions.
Satisfied with his mark, Chopra did not need to produce a bigger effort and progressed comfortably to the medal round; consequently, having secured qualification for the final, he did not take his third and final attempt and finished fifth overall.
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Fellow Indians Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh also progressed, ending the qualification round in ninth and 10th places respectively to complete a clean sweep for India.
Rohit secured his place in the final after showing steady improvement across his attempts. The Indian opened with a 77.04m throw before extending his best to 78.37m, while Yash completed a memorable outing for India by qualifying for his maiden Commonwealth Games final.
The youngster improved from 73.89m to 74.45m, a throw that proved enough to finish inside the top 12 and join his more experienced teammates in the medal event.
Among the other title contenders, Anderson Peters of Grenada recovered from an opening throw of 76.09m to register 81.29m. Pakistan’s defending champion Arshad Nadeem managed 78.63m with his first attempt. He could not improve after fouling his second throw and recording 75.65m in his final effort.
With all three Indian throwers progressing, the stage is now set for a blockbuster final featuring several of the world’s leading javelin throwers.
Chopra will aim to reclaim the Commonwealth title he won in 2018 while Rohit and Yash will look to capitalise on their strong qualification performances and challenge for a podium finish.
How did Neeraj Chopra perform in javelin qualifying round at the Commonwealth Games 2026?
Neeraj Chopra secured fifth place in the qualifying round with a throw of 79.61m. With this, he qualified for the men’s javelin event final.
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Ashwathy is a freelance sports writer with a background in athletics, sports science, and sports management. She specializes in Olympic sports—particularly athletics—and is passionate about athlete storytelling, performance analysis, and competition coverage.