India’s Neeraj Chopra qualified for the men’s javelin throw final at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow after recording a best throw of 79.61 metres during the qualification round.
Chopra opened with a throw of 76.28m before improving to 79.61m on his second attempt. Having already secured qualification in fifth place, the Olympic champion opted to skip his third throw. None of the 18 competitors surpassed the automatic qualifying mark of 84.00m, with Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage leading the field with 82.84m.
India enjoyed a historic qualification round with Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh also advancing to the final. Rohit finished ninth with a throw of 78.37m, while Yash secured 10th place with 78.36m. It marks the first time that three Indian javelin throwers have reached a Commonwealth Games final together.
Reigning world champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago qualified in 11th place with 78.26m, while Kenya’s Julius Yego narrowly missed out after finishing 13th with 74.50m. Pakistan’s Muhammad Yasir, despite recording a season-best, failed to qualify with a 74.36m throw.
Speaking after the event, Chopra attributed the relatively modest distances to challenging weather conditions at Scotstoun Stadium, citing cold temperatures and shifting winds that made accurate throws difficult. He also noted that athletes received only two warm-up throws, while he competed last among the 18 participants.
Chopra, who holds the Indian national record of 90.23m, won Commonwealth Games gold at Gold Coast 2018 but missed the Birmingham 2022 edition due to injury. The men’s javelin final is scheduled for 12:45 AM IST on Saturday.
