As a 19-year-old, when Sachin Yadav decided to give up fast bowling and take up the javelin, his family in Khekada village, in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh, was worried. But, although cricket was a far more attractive career option than track and field, Sachin’s father, Naresh Yadav, respected his son’s decision, even borrowing money to buy him a pair of javelin spikes.
That was six years ago. On Thursday evening, Sachin, now 25, narrowly missed out on a podium finish, coming fourth at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. He outperformed several celebrated javelin throwers, including defending champion Neeraj Chopra and Olympian Arshad Nadeem from Pakistan. Chopra, who finished eighth, had a rare off day – this was the first time in seven years that he didn’t finish in the top-three at a competition; he has complained of a “back problem”.
But Sachin, who is all of 6 feet 5 inches, brought cheer to the Indian contingent, holding his nerve for a personal best of 86.27 metres in the first round. He showed remarkable consistency with throws of 85.71 metres, 84.90 metres and 85.96 metres.
India’s Sachin Yadav competes in the men’s javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
The high-quality final had some surprises. The unlikely winner was 2012 Olympic gold medalist Keshorn Walcott from Trinidad and Tobago, while former two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada won the silver. The United States got its first podium finish in nearly two decades as Curtis Thompson took the bronze.
Lalit Bhanot, chairman of the Athletics Federation of India’s (AFI) planning committee, put Sachin’s fourth-place finish in perspective. “He can throw over 90 metres. He is still raw, but the AFI sees great potential in him. Neeraj has inspired more and more Indians to take up javelin. Seeing Sachin do so well, more will follow. Both Neeraj and Sachin can win medals at major events for the next 10 years,” he said.
Indeed, there’s been an upswing in India’s fortunes since Chopra won the historic gold at the Tokyo Olympics four years ago. At the Budapest World Championships in 2023, Chopra won the gold while Kishore Kumar Jena was fifth and D P Manu sixth. This year, four Indians qualified for the World Championships — Yash Vir Singh and Rohit Yadav did not advance to the final.
Ahead of the World Championships, Sachin knew he was going to rub shoulders with some of the giants of the sport he had chosen. “I am not even 10 percent of what Neeraj (Chopra) bhai is. He taught India what javelin throw is. He has made history. I only hope that one day I can also make India proud,” Sachin had told The Indian Express.
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India’s Sachin Yadav reacts in the men’s javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Before the final, his coach Naval Singh, a Dronacharya awardee, advised him not to get overwhelmed by the occasion. “I reminded him that he has the power as well as the technique to produce a big throw. My target for him was 90 metres today. He has thrown 90 metres in practice. But though he fell short in the final, he proved that he can handle the pressure of the World Championships,” he said.
The coach said he used the India versus Pakistan rivalry to motivate Sachin. “I told him that come what may, make sure you finish ahead of Nadeem. He promised he would. I think it was extra motivation. Neeraj is the best in the world, Sachin proved that he has the potential to be one of the best,” Singh, who stayed back in India because of personal reasons, said.
In his first international competition, the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, in May, Sachin had won the silver medal after struggling to cross the 80-metre mark in his first four throws. Nadeem had taken the lead with 85.57 metres in the third round, while Sri Lanka’s rising star Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage had registered 82.28 metres. But Sachin didn’t wilt under pressure. With throws of 83.06 metres and 85.16 metres, he eventually took the silver, second to Nadeem. Chopra had stayed out of the event.
“At the Asian Championships, Sachin was under pressure, but still won the silver. He deserved a medal at the World Championships too, but he will get another chance,” Singh said.
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Back home, his family is happy that his decision to switch to javelin has borne fruit. “We were tense, wondering if he was making the right decision by stopping cricket and starting javelin when he was almost 20 years old. There is money in cricket, and there is the glamour of the IPL. But since he was determined, we had no option. The whole family was emotional today,” his older brother, Vipin, told The Indian Express.
Meanwhile, the AFI has big plans for Sachin. After consulting his coach, the federation hopes to convince Sachin to start full-time training with India’s foreign coach Sergey Makarov, the multiple Olympic and World Championship medallist. At the final on Thursday, Makarov’s instructions were translated to Sachin by his personal physio because of a language barrier.
There are plans to change his training base from the crowded JLN Stadium in Delhi to the Sports Authority of India facility in Kengeri, near Bengaluru, or the National Institute of Sports in Patiala. “The AFI has focused on javelin for the last 15 years. We had foreign coaches back then but when India didn’t win medals, we were questioned as to why we were focusing on javelin. Today, we have Neeraj and Sachin. Yash Vir and Rohit also qualified for the World Championships. There is a javelin revolution in the country. Sachin will get all the support he needs, as he is world class,” Bhanot said.
