Rohit Yadav climbs to No. 2 in Indian javelin history

Rohit Yadav produced the biggest throw of his career on Saturday, hurling the javelin 87.68m at the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The mark, achieved with his sixth and final attempt, was a personal best and moved him to second on the all-time Indian list, behind only Neeraj Chopra.

India Today reported that the throw moved Rohit past Kishore Jena, whose 87.54m effort from 2023 had placed him second. Neeraj Chopra remains at the top with his national record of 90.23m, set at the Doha Diamond League in 2025, according to the same report.

Rohit's previous personal best was 87.05m, which he recorded at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships at the same venue in June, as reported by ANI and The Tribune. His latest throw is the fourth-best mark in the world this season, behind Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage (92.62m), Germany's Julian Weber (90.40m), and Neeraj Chopra (88.05m), according to multiple sources.

India Today also noted that Rohit's 87.68m effort puts him sixth on the all-time list among Asian athletes and makes him the third-best thrower in Asia this year.

A comeback after Commonwealth Games disappointment

Rohit's performance came after a disappointing outing at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he finished seventh with a best throw of 81.56m. The Times of India reported that he had gone to Glasgow with high hopes after winning gold at the National Inter-State Championships in June, but struggled in cold and windy conditions. At the Games, Neeraj Chopra won silver and Yashvir Singh took bronze, according to the report.

Speaking after his win on Saturday, Rohit reflected on his struggles in Glasgow. "During the Commonwealth Games, after my second throw of 81.56m, I felt I was doing well and that I could build on it. But my third throw went wayward because of the wind, and I couldn't produce another good throw," he said, as quoted by The Times of India. "But if I could have produced today's throw in Glasgow, it would have been great. I've been very disappointed since then, but I'm happy that I've finally produced a big throw again."

His path to victory was not smooth. India Today reported that he slipped on his second attempt, hurting his knee, and The Times of India noted he began with two fouls. His throw sequence was: foul, foul, 75.92m, 78.73m, 81.82m, and then the winning 87.68m.

Looking ahead to the Asian Games

Rohit, who is 25 years old, trains under coach Sergey Makarov, a former Russian javelin thrower, according to The Times of India. The report quoted Rohit as crediting Makarov for helping him improve and not putting pressure on him.

With the Asian Games set to be held in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya from September 19 to October 4, Rohit has already qualified for the squad, though the final team is yet to be announced. He expressed confidence about his prospects, saying, "If conditions remain the same in the Asian Games, I will have a bigger throw there, I am sure of that," as quoted by India Today.

The Times of India reported that the weather in Aichi and Nagoya is expected to be similar to conditions he has experienced in India, which could work in his favour.

Other highlights from the meet

Murali Sreeshankar won the men's long jump with a leap of 8.07m, as reported by ANI and The Tribune. The Indian jumper, who won a second Commonwealth Games silver medal in Glasgow last month, edged South Africa's Divan Manuel, who finished second with 8.03m. India's David Solomon took third with 7.78m.

In the women's long jump, national record holder Ancy Sojan led an Indian sweep with a winning effort of 6.71m. Shaili Singh finished second with 6.56m, and Mubassina Mohammed third with 6.31m, according to ANI and The Tribune. Ancy, an Asian Games silver medallist, had broken the Indian women's long jump national record with a 6.88m leap at the same venue in June.

Teenager Abinaya Rajarajan won the women's 100m in 11.34 seconds, reclaiming the Indian U20 national record. According to ANI and The Tribune, the 19-year-old surpassed the previous U20 mark of 11.53 seconds set by Nipam in April. Nipam had earlier broken Abinaya's previous national record of 11.54 seconds, set in Kochi in 2025.

In the men's javelin, Commonwealth Games 2026 bronze medallist Yashvir Singh finished second with a throw of 82.94m, while Sri Lanka's Sumedha Ranasinghe took third with 80.29m.

Other results from the meet included Chukwuebuka Enekwechi winning the men's shot put with 20.78m, ahead of Zane Weir (20.47m) and Karanveer Singh (20.06m). Two-time Asian Games champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor finished fourth with 20.03m, as reported by ANI and The Tribune.

In the women's discus, Andressa de Morais won with 58.66m, followed by Samantha Hall (58.43m) and Subenrat Insaeng (58.33m), with Seema Kaliramna fourth at 57.44m.

The women's 100m hurdles saw Charisma Taylor win in 12.96 seconds, ahead of Yumi Tanaka (13.04) and India's Jyothi Yarraji (13.24). In the women's javelin, Annu Rani finished third with 56.96m, behind winner Jucilene Sales de Lima (59.13m) and Dilhani Lekamge (58.98m).

In the men's 100m, Tshepo Jason Tyantini won in 10.11 seconds, with India's Animesh Kujur the best-placed Indian in sixth (10.32) and Gurindervir Singh, the national record holder, ninth in 10.39.