India’s Neeraj Chopra settled for the silver medal in the men’s javelin throw at theย Commonwealth Games 2026. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage produced a stunning 89.75m effort to clinch a historic gold. India, however, celebrated a double podium finish as Yash Vir Singh registered a personal best of 85.41m with his final attempt to claim bronze.
Pathirage, the world leader coming into the competition, sealed victory with a massive 89 throw in the second round. Remarkably, it was his only valid attempt of the night, with the Sri Lankan fouling all his other throws. His winning effort proved enough to secure Sri Lanka’s first Commonwealth Games athletics gold in 76 years.
On the other hand, Chopra, making his Commonwealth Games return eight years after winning gold at Gold Coast in 2018, opened with 80.97m before improving to a season’s best 85.83m in the second round. The Indian Olympic champion remained in second place throughout but could not bridge the gap to Pathirage despite four more attempts. He intentionally stepped over the line on his final throw after realising it would not challenge the Sri Lankan’s mark.
Battle for bronze stole the show
The battle for bronze went down to the final round. Yash, who had just managed to stay alive after three rounds, delivered when it mattered most. He launched the javelin to a personal best of 85.41m to move into third place. South Africa’s Douw Smit failed to better that mark with his final attempt, confirming the Indian’s place on the podium.
Rohit Yadav, in the meantime, finished seventh with a best throw of 81.56m after remaining in medal contention during the early rounds.
The competition also produced one of the biggest surprises of the athletics programme as defending Commonwealth Games champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan failed to make the top eight. The reigning Olympic champion managed only 77.41m and was eliminated after three rounds, ending his title defence well before the medal-deciding stages.
For India, the event yielded two medals in a competition dominated by Pathirage’s near-90m throw, while Chopra’s silver and Yash Vir Singh’s breakthrough bronze ensured a successful outing in one of the Games’ marquee athletics events.
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