Rohit Yadav Throws 87.05m to Join Elite Indian Javelin Club, Secures Asian Games Spot
On the final day of the Inter State Athletics Championships, 25-year-old javelin thrower Rohit Yadav produced the best throw of the season by an Indian, recording 87.05 metres. The mark confirms his berth for the Asian Games, alongside double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra.
Yadav was placed third before his last attempt but turned it around with a throw that puts him second in the world top list, behind Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage.
The thrower from Uttar Pradesh has been a consistent name on the javelin circuit, with personal bests hovering around 82-83 metres. With this latest mark, he became the third Indian to cross the 87-metre mark, after Neeraj Chopra and Asian Games silver medallist Kishore Kumar Jena.
“I always used to look at others and wonder when I would get this kind of throw,” Rohit told The Indian Express. “I was consistently crossing 85 metres in my training but it was not translating into big throws, but today it finally happened.”
Before the competition, he changed his phone wallpaper to a picture of him beside the 85-metre mark, taken in South Africa in 2019. “I took this picture thinking that someday I will break this mark,” he said.
Rohit has been around the Indian javelin scene for the past six years, but his journey has been filled with ups and downs. “My journey as a javelin thrower hasn’t been smooth. I came through early as a youngster and then suddenly an injury put brakes on all my progress,” he said.
Breaking through as an 18-year-old, he threw 82.54 metres in 2022, putting himself on the javelin map. That year, he finished tenth at the World Championships and sixth at the Commonwealth Games. He improved to 83.40 metres in 2023 and was on course for the Asian Games before an injury to his throwing arm ruled him out.
“I felt that my world had crashed. I had played at the World Championships final and was on course for the Asian Games. The injury came during training and I felt my heart breaking slowly,” said Rohit.
The comeback was difficult. Surgery did not go as planned, and rehabilitation was slow. “The surgery didn’t help me really, and my rehabilitation was really slow. The year after my comeback, I only threw less than 80 metres,” he said.
The fear of re-injury troubled him, but as rehabilitation picked up, he started improving. “In 2025, I started my season with an 80-metre throw, and it gave me confidence that I still have it in me. My doubt and fear were gone,” he said.
Rohit has a knack for performing at the Inter State Championships, having won the national title four times. “Last year, I did my personal best of 83.65 metres at the Chennai Inter State, which gave me confidence for the World Championships. Though I didn’t play well in Tokyo, it was a good year overall,” he said.
His 87.05-metre mark puts him second in the world top list ahead of the likes of Neeraj Chopra, Anderson Peters, and World champion Keshorn Walcott. However, Rohit knows he needs to be more consistent. “This is just one throw. I need to be more consistent. I was consistent with my 82 and 83-metre marks; I need to do the same with this mark,” he said.
When asked if he knows this is better than Neeraj's mark, Rohit laughed and said, “Neeraj bhai will need just one competition to better this mark. Don’t compare me with him. He is leagues ahead.”
