New Delhi: Indian javelin thrower Sachin Yadav delivered a breakthrough performance at the recently concluded World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, finishing fourth with a personal best throw of 86.27 m. The 25-year-old expressed mixed feelings about his achievement, admitting it felt “weird” to see compatriot and superstar Neeraj Chopra, the reigning world champion, miss the podium with an underwhelming throw of 84.03 m, finishing eighth and ending his streak of 26 consecutive top-two finishes.
Speaking about his performance, Sachin said, “I feel very happy with my performance. It was not like I beat Neeraj, he was injured. I competed with myself and tried to outdo myself.” He added that he even called Neeraj to express his sympathy, and the Olympic gold medalist took the setback in stride, telling him, “It is okay, it is sports, ups and downs happen.”
Sachin also reflected on the growing competitiveness in Indian javelin. “There is a lot of competition in javelin. Youngsters are delivering great performances. Neeraj gave us a benchmark that touches the 90-m mark, and it is up to us to take it further,” he said. Praises also came from Neeraj’s former coach Uwe Hohn, who suggested that Sachin has the potential to throw up to 95 m and dominate the sport alongside greats like Jan Zelezny.
Apart from Sachin and Neeraj, India’s other athletes also made notable contributions. Sarvesh Kushare became the first Indian jumper to qualify for the finals of his discipline, finishing sixth with a personal best of 2.28 m, while Pooja clocked a career-best 2:01.03 in the women’s 800m but did not advance to the finals. Race walker Servin Sebastian finished 31st in the men’s 20 km race walk, marking the end of India’s medal-less campaign at the championships.
India had sent a 19-member contingent to compete across 15 events. Despite strong performances, including Sachin’s personal best and Kushare’s historic final qualification, the nation was unable to secure a medal. Neeraj Chopra remains a towering figure in Indian athletics, having previously won silver in 2022 and gold at Budapest 2023, and Sachin’s emergence signals the growing depth of talent in Indian javelin.
