Who after Neeraj Chopra? The javelin Federation Cup final raises a troubling question

India’s men’s javelin final at the 2026 Federation Cup was supposed to be a statement night for the country’s next generation of throwers. Instead, despite Shivam Lohakare winning gold with a best throw of 81.71m, the competition ended up raising nagging questions about India’s depth behind Neeraj Chopra ahead of the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games cycle.

Fans arrived expecting more than 80 throws and at least a few athletes broke the Commonwealth Games qualifying mark of 82.61m. But not a single Indian thrower managed to reach the required standard in Ranchi, making what was expected to be a breakthrough event a slightly disappointing evening for Indian javelin.

Maharashtra’s Shivam Lohakare eventually clinched the gold with his final attempt of 81.71m, narrowly missing the CWG mark by just 90cm.

Rajasthan’s Yashvir Singh finished second with 80.80m while athlete Rohit Yadav completed the podium with a throw of 80.40m.

World Championship finalist Sachin Yadav, meanwhile, endured disappointment to finish fifth with 79.07m, failing to even clear the 80m mark.

NO CWG GAMES FOR INDIAN JAVELIN STARS

Despite India’s growing reputation in men’s javelin over the past few years, not a single athlete has managed to qualify for the Commonwealth Games from the Federation Cup event.

The qualifying mark was 82.61m and while Shivam Lohakare came closest with his performance of 81.71m, the final total lacked the explosive performances many expected from a field containing several national names.

Even Kishore Kumar Jena, one of India’s top javelin prospects in recent years, struggled badly, finishing seventh with a best throw of just 73.42m.

Sachin Yadav’s performance has also attracted attention as the bowler recently emerged as one of India’s brightest international prospects after reaching the World Cup final.

Instead, Ranchi became a reminder that India’s javelin ecosystem still remains heavily dependent on Neeraj Chopra’s consistency and elite standards.

INDIA IS STILL SEARCHING FOR LIFE AFTER NEERAJ

This concern is even greater because Neeraj himself has not looked completely invincible of late.

The Olympic champion’s last major disappointment came at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where he finished eighth with a best throw of 84.03m while battling persistent back pain. The result snapped his extraordinary seven-year medal streak spanning more than 33 tournaments.

Neeraj has completely changed the expectations surrounding the Indian javelin over the years.

The 80m throw was no longer exceptional as Neeraj pushed Indian athletics to believe 85m and even 90m were consistently possible at world level.

However, the Federation Cup final showed how tough that benchmark still remains for the rest of the field.

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Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

25 May 2026 22:18 IST

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