NEW DELHI: India’s Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav stepped up in the absence of defending champion Neeraj Chopra to win silver and bronze respectively in the men’s javelin throw at the Asian Games 2026 on Monday.Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage, the world-leading thrower this season, lived up to his billing by winning gold with a best effort of 88.55m. Yashvir produced a personal best of 85.72m to finish second, while Rohit secured bronze with 84.35m.Chopra was ruled out of the Asian Games before leaving for Japan because of an injury, leaving India without the double defending champion and the man who had won gold at Hangzhou in 2022. The field also included Pakistan’s Paris Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, making the men’s javelin competition one of the most closely watched athletics events.Asian Games Full Coverage | Medal Tally | Schedule
Yashvir, Rohit keep India in medal hunt
Yashvir made an immediate impact, opening with a throw of 83.56m to take the lead after the first attempt. Rohit moved into first place with his third throw of 84.35m, putting the two Indians in the top two positions midway through the first three rounds.But Pathirage changed the complexion of the contest with an 88.33m effort in his fourth attempt, moving into the lead and pushing the two Indians down to second and third.Yashvir then responded with a big throw of 85.15m in his fifth attempt to move back into silver-medal position.The Sri Lankan then sealed the gold with an even better 88.55m throw in his final attempt.Yashvir had one more response left. The Indian produced his best effort of the competition, throwing 85.72m with his final attempt to improve his personal best and secure the silver medal.Rohit, who had briefly led the competition, eventually had to settle for bronze with his 84.35m effort.
India match Hangzhou medal haul
The javelin podium represented another strong showing for India despite Chopra’s absence. At the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2022, Chopra won gold with a throw of 88.88m, while Kishore Jena claimed silver with 87.54m.This time too, India had two athletes on the podium, with Yashvir and Rohit ensuring the country continued its medal-winning run in the event.Nadeem, one of the biggest names in the field following his Paris Olympic triumph, finished fourth with a season-best throw of 80.29m.
