Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
India will have a new look in the men’s javelin throw at the Asian Games, with 24-year-old Yashvir Singh replacing Neeraj Chopra in the athletics squad for the upcoming Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
The Athletics Federation of India confirmed the change on Thursday, with Yashvir joining Rohit Yadav in the two-member men’s javelin team. Neeraj Chopra’s withdrawal, after an ankle ligament tear brought his 2026 season to an abrupt end, had left a significant void in India’s squad. Yashvir, however, gives India a genuine medal chance after an encouraging run of form this year.
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Yashvir arrives in Japan as a Commonwealth Games medallist. He won bronze in Glasgow in July, producing a personal best of 85.41m. The throw capped a rapid rise for the Rajasthan athlete, who had earlier crossed 80m consistently and finished second behind Rohit at the Indian Athletics Series event in Ludhiana with 82.93m.
BIG HOPES ON ROHIT YADAV
Rohit, meanwhile, has arguably been India’s most consistent javelin thrower this season apart from Chopra. The 25-year-old produced the biggest throw of his career in June, sending the spear 87.05m at the National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar. The effort was a personal best, a meet record and, at the time, the second-best mark in the world in 2026.
Rohit had already shown his consistency earlier in the season, winning the Ludhiana event with 83.76m, ahead of Yashvir’s 82.93m. Both athletes comfortably cleared the Asian Games qualification mark of 77.87m.
The pair therefore head to Japan with realistic podium ambitions. While neither carries the weight of expectation that has followed Chopra for years, both have shown they can produce throws beyond 80m, and Rohit has already breached 87m in competition.
Chopra’s absence will nevertheless be felt. The two-time Olympic medallist had returned to competition only in June after a nine-month injury layoff and appeared to be finding his rhythm, finishing second in Lausanne with 88.05m shortly before suffering the ankle injury in training. He subsequently announced that he would sit out the remainder of the season.
Now, the spotlight shifts to Yashvir and Rohit. India may not have its biggest athletics star in the javelin circle, but it will still have two throwers capable of keeping the country’s podium hopes alive.
The men’s javelin event will be a competiive affair at the Asian Games. World leader and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who has two throws in excess of 92m this year, will be favourite for the gold medal. Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, who failed to even make the men’s javelin final at CWG in Glasgow, will be eyeing redemption in Japan later this month.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
