Delhi’s Nirbhay Choudhary produced the biggest performance of his career at the Indian Athletics Series Final, breaking the men’s hammer throw National Record with a lifetime best of 71.02m in New Delhi.

Choudhary surpassed the previous national record of 70.73m, set by Neeraj Kumar in 2016, ending a 10-year wait for a new national mark.

From 66.67m to a National Record

The record-breaking throw represents a remarkable improvement for the 21-year-old.

At Indian Athletics Series-14, Choudhary won the hammer throw with 66.67m. The AFI results listed 70.73m as the standing national record at the time.

Just weeks later, he added more than four metres to that mark. He also crossed the 70m barrier for the first time in the competition.

His latest performance underlines the progress he has made since his junior years. He had already established himself as one of India’s leading young hammer throwers.

A Unique Journey Into Hammer Throw

Choudhary’s development is particularly intriguing.

According to the information provided, he trains at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. He has also largely learned the technical aspects of hammer throwing through YouTube, without a specialised hammer throw coach.

That makes his progression to a 71.02m national record even more notable.

By Sushant Singh

Neeraj Chopra has ended his 2026 season due to an ankle injury, meaning he will miss the upcoming Asian Games 2026.

He informed everyone through a social media post, announcing that a ligament tear in his ankle suffered during training will bring his 2026 season to an early and painful end.

Three major competitions were still on his calendar:

• 5 September – Diamond League Final
• 13 September – World Athletics Ultimate Championship
• 28 September – Asian Games 2026

Why Neeraj Chopra’s Absence Matters

The Asian Games are particularly important from India’s perspective, as the Indian athletics contingent came back with a 100+ medal haul in the last edition, with athletics bringing home the biggest share — 29 medals in total.

In men’s javelin, India won two medals, with Neeraj Chopra winning gold and Kishore Jena taking silver.

But with Neeraj Chopra now ruled out, the big question is: who will represent India in men’s javelin?

Rohit Yadav

Rohit Yadav has already been named in the provisional Asian Games squad.

He recently produced a massive lifetime best of 87.68m, making him India’s second-best thrower of all time. His 87.68m is currently the third-best throw in Asia this season.

His name was already in the provisional squad, but the question now is: who will replace Neeraj?

Yashvir

Yashvir could be another strong option.

He finished second in the Asian Games qualifier at the Inter-State Championships with 83.72m and later won Commonwealth Games bronze with a lifetime best of 85.41m, currently the fourth-best throw in Asia this season.

However, Yashvir’s name is not included in the current Asian Games long list.

Now, it remains to be seen whether AFI, SAI or IOA can replace Neeraj’s name with Yashvir’s ahead of the Asian Games.

The good news is that the Athletics Federation is yet to finalise the team for the Asian Games 2026, which means there could still be some changes.

But whether they can replace Neeraj’s name with Yashvir’s — that is something we will have to wait and find out.

Neeraj Chopra is set for a packed September, with three major competitions lined up against some of the world’s best javelin throwers.

Neeraj, who has returned from a long lay-off due to injury, registered a season-best throw of 88.05m, India’s best throw of the season.

5 September | Diamond League Final, Brussels

After the Zurich Diamond League results, India’s golden boy Neeraj Chopra has secured his place in the Diamond League Final in Brussels, the final leg of the 2026 Diamond League season.

He has qualified alongside five other javelin throwers so far: Rumesh Pathirage, Anderson Peters, Keshorn Walcott, Curtis Thompson, Julius Yego and Neeraj Chopra.

13 September | World Athletics Ultimate Championships, Budapest

Neeraj Chopra’s second-place finish with 88.05m at the Lausanne Diamond League has moved him into the top eight in the World Athletics rankings for qualification to the World Athletics Ultimate Championships.

His Lausanne performance earned him:

88.05m:1216 points
2nd place: +120 points
Total: 1336 points

That pushed Neeraj into the seventh qualifying position.

The final list of athletes eligible for entry through the World Rankings will be determined on 3 September 2026.

28 September | Asian Games, Aichi-Nagoya

Neeraj is expected to represent India in the men’s javelin at the Asian Games, where he will be aiming for another major title.

He is expected to face strong competition from Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem and Sri Lankan javelin sensation Rumesh Pathirage.

Three major competitions. Three elite fields. One very busy month for India’s golden boy.

India’s Ancy Sojan Edappilly continued her impressive run at Kalinga Stadium, winning the women’s long jump title at the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet in Bhubaneswar with a best effort of 6.71m.

The Indian national record holder produced a consistent series, with her winning mark coming on her third attempt. She opened with 6.51m and 6.58m before landing 6.71m, followed by a foul, 6.65m and 6.56m.

Women’s Long Jump — Final

🥇 Ancy Sojan 🇮🇳 — 6.71m
🥈 Shaili Singh 🇮🇳 — 6.56m
🥉 Mubassina Mohammed 🇮🇳 — 6.31m
4️⃣ Kusuma Ravanada 🇮🇳 — 6.29m
5️⃣ Bhagavathi Bhavani 🇮🇳 — 6.25m
6️⃣ Danielle Nolte 🇿🇦 — 6.05m

Ancy’s victory comes just weeks after she produced a spectacular 6.88m at the same stadium to break the Indian women’s long jump national record.

Although she could not replicate that record-breaking distance this time, her 6.71m was comfortably enough to secure the gold medal and once again underline her dominance in the Indian event.

India also completed a clean sweep of the podium, with Shaili Singh taking silver at 6.56m and Mubassina Mohammed winning bronze with 6.31m.

The result makes the women’s long jump one of the highlights of India’s campaign at its first-ever World Athletics Continental Tour Silver-level meet, with the country’s leading jumpers delivering a memorable home performance at Kalinga Stadium.

For Ancy, the gold adds another strong result to what has already been a breakthrough season, following her record-breaking leap of 6.88m at the same venue.

Rohit Yadav delivered the standout performance of the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet in Bhubaneswar, winning the men’s javelin throw with a sensational 87.68m — a new lifetime best and one of the biggest throws in Indian athletics history.

The Uttar Pradesh thrower produced the massive mark on his sixth and final attempt, finishing well clear of compatriot Yashvir Singh, who secured silver with 82.94m.

Men’s Javelin Throw — Final

🥇 Rohit Yadav 🇮🇳 — 87.68m
🥈 Yashvir Singh 🇮🇳 — 82.94m
🥉 Sumedha Ranasinghe 🇱🇰 — 80.29m
4️⃣ Arshdeep Singh 🇮🇳 — 78.82m
5️⃣ Anand Singh 🇮🇳 — 78.34m
6️⃣ Ravi Rathushan 🇱🇰 — 77.24m
7️⃣ Douw Smit 🇿🇦 — 76.79m

Rohit’s winning throw places him second on India’s all-time list, behind only Neeraj Chopra’s national-record 90.23m. It also represents a major leap forward for the 2026 season, with Rohit adding nearly a metre to his previous personal best of 87.05m.

The 87.68m effort also puts Rohit among the leading javelin throwers globally this season, making his performance one of the biggest highlights of India’s first-ever World Athletics Continental Tour Silver-level meet.

Yashvir Singh further strengthened India’s dominance in the event by crossing 82 metres for silver, while Sri Lanka’s Sumedha Ranasinghe completed the podium with an impressive 80.29m.

Rohit’s breakthrough performance adds another exciting chapter to India’s growing strength in men’s javelin throw. With Neeraj Chopra, Rohit Yadav and Yashvir Singh all producing world-class marks this season, India’s javelin depth has rarely looked stronger.