New Delhi: Neeraj Chopra’s exploits on the global stage have made javelin the high point of Indian athletics over the last four years. His success has inspired a new generation of throwers at home, evident in the record four javelin throwers India will field at the Tokyo World Championships from September 13 to 21.
This is the most entries allowed per nation. Chopra, the defending champion, earned a wild card while Sachin Yadav, Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav qualified on world rankings. The qualification window closed on August 24 with the top 36 making the cut. Rohit, ranked 37th, got in after a withdrawal. It sets up men’s javelin as the most anticipated event for India in Tokyo. India’s representation in javelin has grown over the last three editions, but the challenge for others will be to emulate Chopra by delivering their best on the big stage.
“Neeraj has broken all the barriers for us,” says Rohit Yadav, gearing up for his second Worlds after Eugene 2022. While Chopra is training under Jan Zelezny, the others are under Russian two-time Olympic medallist Sergey Makarov.
“Everyone knows what we need to do and what we can achieve given the right resources and facilities. He has carved the path, and we just have to follow. Our standard has improved at the international level and in the coming years we hope to consistently hit 85-87m at major competitions.”
At Budapest in 2023, Kishore Jena and Manu DP also qualified. Jena produced 87.54m to win Hangzhou Asian Games silver behind Chopra (88.88m) and finished fifth at the Worlds. But his performance dipped last year. His best at the Paris Olympics was 80.73m before he had ankle surgery. He is back, but is yet to cross 80m. Manu was banned for doping.
This season, two fresh names have stepped up. The tall, powerful Sachin has been the find of the year. At the Asian Championships in South Korea, he threw a personal best of 85.16m – the entry standard was 85.50m – winning silver behind Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem. Ranked 20th in the Tokyo rankings, Sachin has crossed 83m four times this year, going from 80.27m in 2023 and 82.69m in 2024. Yashvir too achieved his personal best of 82.57m at the Asian meet, having entered the 80m club in 2022.
Rohit’s best of 83.65m came at the recent National Inter-State meet in Chennai. He has been in the 80-83m range for three years. All must take a cue from Chopra’s consistency. He threw 86.48m at the 2016 World U20 Championships and hit 88.16m to win the 2018 Asian Games gold, but entered the 90m club only this year. That’s a long wait, but what set him apart was how frequently he delivered 88m-plus throws in every condition at major events. When it came to maintaining top form, there has been no match to Chopra in the world. That has ensured back-to-back Olympic and Worlds podium finishes.
“If you take it step by step and maintain your level, you know you can achieve that distance in every competition,” Rohit says. “If you’re at 75-76m and suddenly jump 5-6m, it’s hard to sustain. You may get one odd 85m throw, but reproducing it every time is the real challenge. That only comes with gradual progression, when you understand your body, your training, and the adjustments needed to add distance. The important thing is mindset, diet, and how you plan your training.”
Rohit too is coming from an elbow injury. As the most experienced after Chopra, he knows he has to step up in Tokyo.
“It is great to have four Indian throwers. Imagine, if all four qualify for the final! It would be such a big day for us. I’ve been training with this competition in mind. My focus will be to give my best in qualifying first.”
Rohit said: “I missed the last edition (2023) because of my injury (elbow). I want to give my best this time. I got my personal best this season… I wanted to breach the entry standard but am happy I have qualified through rankings.”
