CWG 2026: Neeraj Chopra Anticipates Competition In Javelin Final, Praises Sri Lankan Star Rumesh

Commonwealth Games 2026: India's Olympic and World Championship gold medalist Neeraj Chopra expressed excitement for the javelin throw final at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2026 and praised his Sri Lankan counterpart Rumesh Pathirage, who has emerged as the latest challenge to India's dominance amongst Asian javelin throwers.

Indian javelin throwers Neeraj Chopra, Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh secured places in the men's javelin throw final at the Commonwealth Games 2026 after a challenging qualification round affected by windy conditions in Glasgow on Thursday. Neeraj, who has often sealed qualification with a single big throw in major events, had to wait until his second attempt to secure his place in the final.

The former Olympic champion opened with a modest 76.28m before improving to 79.61m with his second throw, which placed him fifth in the qualification standings. He opted against taking his final attempt after confirming his spot among the top 12.

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Speaking after his qualification, Neeraj said, "The javelin throw field is pretty good. It would be a really good final. Hope the conditions will be okay tomorrow. Everyone looks in good shape; let us see tomorrow what happens."

Neeraj also praised Rumesh, who arrived at the event after a headline-grabbing performance at the Rome Diamond League in June, producing a monster throw of 92.62m. Pathirage's performance at Rome is the second-best javelin performance by an Asian behind Arshad Nadeem's 92.97m at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Speaking about Rumesh, Neeraj said, "He throws really well. He is a good boy and a good friend of mine. This year, he threw really well. It is good that great javelin throwers are emerging among our neighbours. It feels really great that he could do something great for Sri Lanka."

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With the emergence of Neeraj, Arshad from Pakistan and recently Sri Lanka's Rumesh, South Asia seems to be the newest and rising javelin throw destination, and the legendary Indian athlete is really happy about it. He shed light on how people are getting more aware about the sport, with the internet also playing a role.

"I think javelin is really popular in South Asia now. There are a lot of javelin throwers, a lot of athletes who are training for it. There is a better chance of more athletes coming now. Before, javelin throw was not very famous, but now people know about it and support it, as they realise that there is a future in this sport," he said.

"We also have good facilities related to the sport. When I started playing, I did not know how to plan and train for this sport. But with the internet, there is everything that you can know about javelin. It is really great that people know about the sport, recognise it and athletes try to give their best too," he added.

Neeraj also admitted that his gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics 2020, the first gold by an Indian in a track and field event, gave a boost to the sport in his country.

"So, I am happy. We have some good throwers now, around 20 80-metre throwers, so it's really good for India," he signed off.

Yash Vir Singh began his campaign with a 73.89m throw before improving gradually through the round. His final attempt produced his best effort of 78.36m, helping him finish 10th and book his place in the final.

Rohit Yadav also made it through after a consistent performance. He started with 77.04m and produced his best throw of 78.37m in the second round, which placed him ninth overall. He decided not to take his final attempt, with his qualification position appearing secure.

Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage topped the qualification standings with an impressive 82.84m throw, while Grenada's Anderson Peters finished second with 81.29m. South Africa's Douw Smit (80.64m) and England's Ben East (80.38m) were the other athletes to cross the 80m mark.

Olympics 2024 gold-medallist Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan qualified in seventh place with a best throw of 78.63m, while several big names struggled in the difficult conditions.

The final qualification list saw Neeraj finish fifth, Rohit ninth and Yash Vir Singh 10th, with all three Indians advancing to the medal round.

They will compete in the finals on Saturday (IST).