Neeraj Chopra, 28, added yet another silver medal to his kitty as he came second in the men’s javelin throw final at the Commonwealth Games 2026. Neeraj, who entered the contest as the hot favourite, displayed great skill but came second to Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage in Glasgow. With this, the ace athlete from India won his second medal at the Commonwealth Games, his previous one a gold in 2018 in Gold Coast.
Event Context
The Tokyo Olympics gold medallist came second with his best throw being 85.83m, while Pathirage took home the gold with a best attempt of 89.75m. Apart from Neeraj, India’s Yash Vir Singh also finished on the podium, winning bronze with a throw of 85.41m. Rohit Yadav, the third Indian participant, finished seventh. This marked the first time that the two Indians finished on the podium in the javelin throw event.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, the Paris Olympics gold medallist, even failed to make the top eight in the final, finishing ninth in the overall standings.
Neeraj began the competition with a throw of 80.97m. As soon as he threw the javelin, he let out a huge roar and felt good about his effort. It was a good start for the 28-year-old, who was appearing at the CWG for the first time in eight years. It didn’t take long for Neeraj to take the lead as he threw 85.83 in his second attempt to race ahead in the competition.
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However, Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage took the lead with his second attempt as he registered a throw of 89.75m, putting the pressure on other opponents.
With pressure firmly on him, Neeraj registered a throw of 81.29m, and after the conclusion of three attempts, he was in second place with the Sri Lankan opponent ahead of the rest of the opponents. His next attempt, fourth to be precise, was a bit underwhelming, with only a distance of 80.73 recorded. With just two more attempts, Sri Lanka’s Pathirage looked like the clear favourite to return home with a gold medal.
In the end, Neeraj’s last two attempts proved to be underwhelming, and he had to settle for the silver.
However, Chopra was unable to defend his Commonwealth crown four years later. The Olympic champion was forced to miss the 2022 Birmingham Games after suffering a groin injury during the World Athletics Championships in Oregon. The setback ruled him out of the multi-sport event as he focused on recovery and rehabilitation to avoid aggravating the injury.
Neeraj’s previous performances at CWG
Neeraj etched his name into the Commonwealth Games record books with a landmark performance at the 2018 Gold Coast edition. Producing a season-best throw of 86.47 metres, the Indian javelin star clinched the gold medal and became the first athlete from the country to top the podium in the men’s javelin throw at the competition.
