India’s javelin thrower Rohit Yadav finally shed years of pressure after securing the bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, marking his first medal at a major international championship.
Rohit Yadav can finally breathe easy after claiming the bronze medal in men’s javelin at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, ending his wait for a major international podium finish.
25-year-old Rohit from Jaunpur district helped India clinch a double podium at the Asian Games with an 84.35m throw at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium on Monday. Yashvir Singh secured a silver with 85.72m, while Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage took the gold with 88.55m.
Rohit free of pressure after Asian Games bronze
After clinching a podium finish at the Asian Games, Rohit said that winning a bronze has finally ended years of pressure and doubt. The Indian javelin star admitted he has been under pressure from family and friends after having no medal to show despite all the hard work and great performances.
Rohit added that the bronze medal finish will allow him to compete freely and focus on performing his best.
“I come from a family which has no environment for sports. So, they will say, ‘You have been working so hard for so many years, and you have no medal, what do you have‘.
“The pressure I had from family and friends, it has now gone after this medal. I have been under a lot of pressure for so many years. I don’t know why I kept on missing big medals. But with this Asian Games medal, I will play without any pressure. I will play freely,” Rohit said.
More from SportsRohit ‘not happy’ with recent performance
Reflecting on his performance, Rohit expressed that the bronze medal win was encouraging, but he expected better performance from himself. The 25-year-old is now aiming for 90m+ throws and higher medals in upcoming major international events.
“It was a world-class field, but in my last competition in India, I threw 87.68, which was a world-class throw. I am OK. I got the medal, but I am not very happy because I could not produce my best. My throw was not at the level I expected,” the Indian javelin star added.
The Indian javelin star’s bronze medal finish extended India’s overall medal tally to 45, including 4 gold, 20 silver and 21 bronze medals.