Quick Comment: Challengers from South Asia have thrown down gauntlet to Neeraj Chopra

While mainland European nations, the traditional powerhouses in javelin, hardly a part of the Commonwealth Games, recent results have shown that challengers from other parts of the world are making major progress and winning the big medals.

This is not the first time Asians have won major medals in javelin throw. Chopra is an Olympic and World Champion. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem and Chopra completed a 1-2 on the podium, while Grenada’s Anderson Peters finished third to mark the first time no European was on the podium in the history of the Summer Games.

India’s Neeraj Chopra competes in the Men’s Javelin Throw Final at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

At last year’s World Championships, a resurgent Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago, who stunned the world when he won the 2012 London Olympics gold, finished first. Anderson Peters of Grenada and USA’s Curtis Thompson won silver and bronze respectively to keep the Europeans out of the podium again.

Kenya’s Julius Yego played his role in pushing the Europeans aside by winning the 2015 World Championships. No European has won gold at the World Championships or Olympics in nearly a decade.

Lot of contenders

The biggest takeaway from Glasgow for India is not the silver medal for Chopra but Singh finishing third, making a double podium for the country. While Chopra has been the trailblazer by becoming the first Indian to win gold in track and field at the Olympics or the World Championships, others like Singh have been inspired to dream big.

Singh made a mark when he bettered Chopra’s Under-20 Federation Cup record in 2021. But he bided his time before shining on the big stage.

Others like Kishore Kumar Jena (Asian Games silver medallist) and Sachin Yadav (Asian Championship silver medallist) have made an impact, but consistency and bouncing back successfully have been the biggest challenges for those aiming to emulate Chopra.

As for Pathirage, winning gold in tough conditions with headwinds, is a considerable achievement. He had been the only thrower this year to cross the 90-metre mark, achieved at the Diamond League in Rome last month, to lay down the marker ahead of the Commonwealth Games. While he was undoubtedly talented, the world was waiting to see if he had it in him to deliver in a final when competing among some of the finest in the world.

The fierce competitor in Chopra won’t be happy with a second- place finish despite a season-best throw in Glasgow. On his return from a nine-month injury layoff, he had finished fourth at the Doha Diamond League. At the Asian Games, he will once again face Pathirage and Nadeem, the reigning Olympic champion. Failure at the CWG will spur the Pakistani to prove a point in Aichi-Nagoya. In global javelin, being the best in Asia carries weight.