Rohit Yadav: India’s next big javelin story is taking shape

Rohit Yadav tries to sleep after returning from the Commonwealth Games. A throw of 81.56 meters in the men’s javelin final saw the Indian finish 7th among 12 athletes in Glasgow.

Among the three Indian athletes present in the final, Rohit’s throw was the lowest. The other two, Neeraj Chopra and Yashvir Singh, took silver and bronze, both with throws just above the 85m mark.

Neeraj’s season best of 85.83m at the time and Yashvir’s personal best of 85.41m were well below what Rohit threw just before the Commonwealth Games: 87.05m.

The fact that he was not far from it still irritates Rohit.

The 25-year-old from Dabhiya village in Machhlishahr redeemed himself just a few weeks later, threw a massive throw of 87.68m at the Continental Tour silver meeting in Bhubaneswar.

It was the distance that mattered. This moved Rohit to second place among Indian javelin stars, behind only Neeraj Chopra. But even that couldn’t make him happy.

“What’s the point of bowling here? I need to bowl in bigger competitions, that’s my aim,” Rohit Yadav told IndiaToday.in in an exclusive interview.

“I was really sad and irritated with my throw in Glasgow. I’m not happy with this personal best either,” he added.

While he is still brooding over the result, the fact is that Rohit’s performance on the Continental Tour in early August has put him firmly in contention for a medal at the 2026 Asian Games to be held in Japan next month.

WITH Neeraj Chopra now out of the competition due to a season-ending ankle injury, Rohit is India’s best hope for what could be the country’s last javelin medal in 2026.

READY FOR ANOTHER 90 MILES?

Rohit Yadav looking to make it big in major tournaments (PTI Photo)

A throw of 90m is a rare commodity in the javelin. The sport, which was first introduced to the Olympics in 1908, has only 28 athletes to date who have broken the 90m barrier.

Germany has the best consistency in the 90m throws, with 7 of these 28 athletes.

That’s why Neeraj Chopra’s performance in Doha (90.23m) was so special: he became the first and only Indian thrower to break the elusive 90.

But what after Neeraj? What happens when age catches up with him? What happens when an athlete retires?

That’s where Rohit Yadav comes in. When he makes two throws over 87 meters in 2026, the conversation will naturally shift to that territory. Can it reach 90m?

His former coach Michael Musselmann, who coached Rohit early in his career, believes he is an exceptional talent with a natural arm capable of producing big throws.

“He’s a very impressive talent. He’s not tall, he’s not strong in weightlifting, but he’s naturally very strong and has an amazing arm,” says Michael from Peru, where he trains athletes from around the world online.

“Rohit is a very natural bowler. I think that comes from cricket, or maybe he just had it in his body. He knew how to use his legs, upper body, spin and range and always had a good feel for the javelin.”

“I think he has 90 meters in his body.

ROHITA YADAV’S ROUTE IN THE SPEAR

This natural instinct did not start in high-performing elite centers; it goes back to his childhood home. The roots of Rohit Yadav’s javelin journey started in 2012 when he was in Standard V.

His father, a former state-level decathlete, cut a bamboo stalk that happened to form a spear shape.

“I remember one day in the village when my dad (Sabhajee Yadav) brought home a bamboo stalk. He was showing me how to throw it. When the stick fell, it didn’t lie flat, it stuck into the ground and stood up. The 11-year-old in me was fascinated,” Rohit recalled.

“I started javelin from there. I used to train at home then and then I worked with Michael online,” added Rohit.

Michael, who follows Indian athletics closely, came to know about Rohit Yadav in 2018.

“I knew he was going to compete in the Asian Youth Games. He ended up with a medal and a 70m throw. From a video someone sent me, I saw he was a huge talent and offered to train him for free,” said Michael.

Michael coached him for two years, during which Rohit broke the Indian youth record of 81.75m, a mark that still stands today. He also became world number two as an under-20 thrower with a mark of 78.99m.

But Rohit’s rise from the youth ranks to the senior level has not been as meteoric as he would have liked.

“The problem is he got injured. He had elbow surgery and you never know with javelin players. Once you injure your elbow, a second injury can mean the end of your career,” Michael said.

Rohit’s elbow mechanics remain the defining aspect of his bowling.

He touched the 83–84 meter mark in 2023 and 2025. But Rohit believes tweaking his elbow delivery has given him a 4m improvement over last year.

“I don’t think I was giving my full strength earlier. I was bowling more with my rhythm. But last year I realized that if I put in my effort and rhythm, I could go even more,” Rohit said.

Michael attributes this gain to a dynamic run-up speed combined with an explosive release.

“His run is very dynamic, very aggressive, probably running around 22 to 23 kilometers per hour,” Michael noted. “Then you add launch speed to the javelin. If you want to throw far, the javelin has to fly at least 100 kilometers per hour. I’m sure it’s above that.”

While that speed is impressive, both Rohit and Michael agree that his technique still has flaws, specifically the front foot block.

“If you look at how Rumesh throws, his block is completely straight. When you see the pictures of Rohit’s throw from 87 metres, he was bending his leg,” explained Michael. “If you don’t block straight, you lose energy or tend to drag the spear down.

Rohit agrees with the diagnosis: “I definitely think my front brace isn’t working properly. If I can sort that out, I think I can improve by 2 meters straight away.”

Michael feels that Rohit is at 90 percent of his potential.

Neeraj Chopra was 27 when he broke the 90m mark and Arshad Nadeem was the same age when he set an Olympic record throw of over 92m to win in Paris.

If that age marks the beginning of peak sporting performance, then Rohit has two more years on his side, just in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“I think he can be a medal contender at LA 2028 and that was part of my vision. When I met him in 2018 or 2019, I told him that one day he’ll throw over 90. I really think he can do it,” Michael said.

ROHIT YADAV’S CHALLENGE IN ASIAN GAMES

While LA 2028 remains a long-term benchmark, Rohit has his immediate sights set squarely on the field in Japan.

Rohit’s biggest competition will be Rumesh Pathirage in Sri Lankacurrently one of the best javelin bowlers in the world who happens to be one of Rohit’s closest friends on the circuit.

“I talk to him a lot during events. He’s quite funny. I teach him Hindi, he tells me to learn Tamil. He goes to India for a while and we meet every time,” laughed Rohit.

Rumesh tried to help Rohit during CWG 2026 as well, advising him to bowl flat and hard in the swirling Glasgow wind. Apart from tactical advice, an informal conversation about training methods led to a major breakthrough for the Indian star.

“I asked Rumesh how he has increased his strength so much. He told me that he doesn’t lift more than 60-65 kg and that he just works on his rhythm and running speed,” revealed Rohit. “After coming back from the CWG, I changed by reducing my weight by 20 percent, which gave me the biggest jump of my career.” Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage leads the way in 2026 with a massive throw of 92.62m (PTI Photo)

Rohit is adamant that he will build on this momentum.

For now, he can wait 90 meters. Rohit Yadav has a more immediate job to attend to, with the Asian Games offering him an opportunity to turn his recent progress into a major medal.

A throw of 87.68 in Bhubaneswar raised his standing in the Indian javelin. It put him second only to Neeraj Chopra, who has scored one of the biggest throws in the world this season, and brought him closer to a mark only surpassed by the best. Yet Rohit doesn’t show any particular interest in what the number means outside the competitive arena.

He knows the throw came at a Continental Tour meeting, not the Olympics, World Championships or Asian Games. He cares about that difference. The disappointment of Glasgow, where he only managed 81.56m despite entering the Commonwealth Games with a mark of 87.05m, remains fresh in his mind.

This is perhaps what makes the 90 meter option more interesting. Rohit is not chasing a number because that would put him alongside the world’s best. That’s how far he wants to throw in big competitions where a throw of that magnitude matters.

Michael Musselmann believed he could do it when Rohit was still a teenager. Six years later, even Rohit is finally starting to believe it.

– The end

Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

30 Aug 2026 12:33 IST