Javelin throwing is a family passion for Rohit Yadav and Co. His two brothers also throw the spear whereas his father has been a former decathlete. Moreover, athletics remains the only subject of discussion whenever he is at home in his village of Dabhiya, in Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
“Yes, athletics has been the only subject of discussion at home as we all have learnt the basics of the game from our father. Besides being our father, he is also our mentor and basic guru,” Rohit told HT on Friday.
Rohit, who has qualified for the Commonwealth Games along with two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra and Yashvir Singh, said that discussion about athletics at home always motivate all three brothers.
“My elder brother is in NIS whereas the younger one Rohan trains along with me here in Patiala. We always feel motivated when we discus athletics,” said Rohit, who is now focused on qualifying for the Asian Games with the trials due next week at Bhubaneswar.
While talking about his journey in the sport so far, Rohit admitted that it was his father who inspired him to take up javelin at the early age of 6. His training started in a bamboo field where he first honed his throwing technique. In 2014, he won his first gold medal on his debut at a district-level competition with a 49m throw, marking his early entry into competitive javelin.
“That medal was a big boost as well as an inspiration. Only then I decided to continue my passion in javelin,” recalled Rohit, who in 2016 secured another gold at the World School Games with a remarkable 72.57m throw.
By April 2019, Rohit had broken the U-18 national record with an extraordinary 81.75m throw using a 700gm javelin, the best U-18 performance globally that year. That same year, he threw 79m with an 800gm javelin, placing him among the top U-19 throwers worldwide. In September 2019, he was selected for the national camp.
Rohit won the Youth National Championship in 2018 and remained a top figure in India’s junior circuit. His adult career saw significant success, including a gold medal at the 2022 National Federation Cup with an 81.83m throw. At the 2022 National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships, he achieved his then-personal best of 82.54m.
However, his progression faced a major setback when an elbow injury forced him out of competition for over 12 months, causing him to miss the 2023 World Championships.
“It was a really big set back to my planning, but I didn’t lost hope and kept working hard on my recovery and thereafter on training,” said Rohit.
Rohit’s recovery was gradual but within a year he pushed himself back to form and achieved a new personal best at an inter-state meet in 2023. At that competition, Rohit, along with Kishore Jena and Shivpal Singh, attained the Asian Games qualification standard of 78.23m. He also won gold at the Taiwan Athletics Open in 2025 and secured silver at the National Games with an 80m+ throw. In June 2025, Neeraj Chopra encouraged him to “focus on dreams not results,” a message that motivated Rohit.
“Not only for me, but for every javelin thrower in this country, Neeraj has been the biggest inspiration. Since we train together, I try to learn from him and he always remains ready to share his experiences with all of us,” said Rohit.
He delivered a career-best throw of 83.76m on his very first attempt, becoming the first Indian men’s javelin thrower to breach the Athletics Federation of India’s (AFI) CWG qualifying mark of 82.61m last week in Ludhiana.
“Qualifying for the Asian Games is very much in my mind, but this time I would like to make a podium finish at the CWG at Glasgow this July-August,” said Rohit.
