Glasgow, 30 July (H.S.): India’s two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra has qualified for the men’s javelin throw final at the Commonwealth Games 2026. On Thursday, during the qualification round, Neeraj, along with fellow Indians Rohit Yadav and Yashvir Singh, delivered impressive performances to secure their places in the final.

No athlete managed to achieve the automatic qualification mark of 84 metres during the qualification round. As a result, the top 12 performers were selected for the final. Neeraj Chopra registered his best throw of 79.61 metres and finished fifth in the overall standings to secure his place in the medal round.

Rohit Yadav finished ninth with a throw of 78.37 metres, while Yashvir Singh secured the 10th position with an effort of 78.36 metres, confirming their qualification for the final. With all three Indian javelin throwers making it to the medal round, India’s hopes of winning a podium finish have received a major boost.

Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathiraja topped the qualification standings with a throw of 82.84 metres. Grenada’s Anderson Peters finished second with 81.29 metres, followed by South Africa’s Douw Smit, who secured third place with 80.64 metres. England’s Ben East was fourth with a throw of 80.38 metres, while Neeraj Chopra finished fifth.

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem also qualified for the final after finishing seventh with a throw of 78.63 metres.

The men’s javelin throw final will be held on August 1, where Neeraj Chopra will aim to repeat his gold medal-winning performance from the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. With three Indian athletes reaching the final, the country has strong medal hopes in the event.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar