Throws Archives | Athletics India

India’s Tanya Chaudhary finished fourth in the women’s hammer throw final at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya, setting a new personal best of 65.35m with her final attempt.

Her teammate Anushka Yadav also delivered a strong performance, finishing fifth with a best throw of 64.56m.

The results placed two Indian athletes inside the top five in a competitive continental final.

Tanya Chaudhary Sets Personal Best With Final Throw

Tanya saved her best performance for the final round of the competition.

On her sixth and last attempt, she produced a throw of 65.35m, setting a new personal best.

The effort secured her fourth place and highlighted her ability to deliver under pressure.

Her final-round improvement brought her close to the medal positions, although she ultimately finished outside the podium.

Anushka Yadav Finishes Fifth

India’s Anushka Yadav also produced a consistent performance in the women’s hammer throw final.

She recorded a best mark of 64.56m, securing fifth place.

Her result ensured that India had two athletes among the top five finishers in the event.

Zhang Jiale Wins Gold With Asian Record

China’s Zhang Jiale won the gold medal with an outstanding throw of 78.27m, setting a new Asian record.

Her compatriot Zhao Jie claimed silver with 74.83m, while Joy Iris McArthur secured bronze with 68.42m.

Women’s Hammer Throw Final Results

Position	Athlete	Country	Distance
Gold	Zhang Jiale	China	78.27m (AR)
Silver	Zhao Jie	China	74.83m
Bronze	Joy Iris McArthur	—	68.42m
4th	Tanya Chaudhary	India	65.35m (PB)
5th	Anushka Yadav	India	64.56m

India Places Two Athletes in the Top Five

Tanya Chaudhary’s personal best and Anushka Yadav’s fifth-place finish marked a strong showing for India in the women’s hammer throw.

Although neither athlete reached the podium, both finished among the top five in a highly competitive field.

Tanya finished fourth with a personal best of 65.35m, while Anushka placed fifth with 64.56m at the Asian Games 2026.

Tanya Chaudhary throws 65.35m for a personal best in the women's hammer throw at Asian Games 2026

India produced a strong performance in the men’s javelin final at the Nagoya Asian Games, with Yashvir Singh winning silver and Rohit Yadav securing bronze.

Yashvir pushed Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage throughout the competition and briefly held the lead. However, Pathirage produced a winning throw of 88.55m to claim gold.

Yashvir secured silver with a personal best of 85.72m, while Rohit added bronze with 84.35m. The result gave India two athletes on the same Asian Games javelin podium.

Yashvir Singh Sets Personal Best to Win Silver

Making his Asian Games debut, Yashvir delivered an impressive performance in what has been a rapid rise this season.

His first three throws measured 83.56m, 82.99m and 82.42m. These efforts kept him firmly in medal contention.

His fourth attempt of 84.31m moved him closer to the top of the standings. He then produced 85.14m in the fifth round.

Yashvir saved his best for the final attempt, throwing 85.72m to set a new personal best and confirm his silver medal.

At one stage, the Indian briefly moved to the top of the standings. However, Pathirage responded with his winning throw of 88.55m to secure gold.

Rohit Yadav Adds Bronze With Consistent Throws

Rohit Yadav also delivered a consistent performance in the final.

His best throw of 84.35m came in the third round, following efforts of 77.25m and 82.40m.

He then recorded 82.16m and 82.15m before his final attempt was marked as a foul.

Four of Rohit’s five valid throws exceeded 82 metres, underlining the consistency of his performance.

His bronze medal added another major championship achievement to a season in which he had established himself as one of India’s leading javelin throwers.

India’s Javelin Legacy at the Asian Games

The two medals are significant in the context of India’s recent history in men’s javelin.

The event has become one of the country’s strongest athletics disciplines over the past decade, largely driven by Neeraj Chopra.

Chopra won India’s first Asian Games gold in men’s javelin at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, throwing a then-national record of 88.06m.

Before his victory, India’s previous Asian Games medal in the event had come in 1982. Gurtej Singh won bronze in New Delhi.

Chopra successfully defended his title at Hangzhou in 2023, winning gold. Kishore Jena took silver, giving India a one-two finish.

Yashvir Continues His Strong Season

Neeraj Chopra was absent from the Nagoya Asian Games after an ankle ligament injury ruled him out.

That left Yashvir and Rohit to lead India’s challenge. Both athletes responded with podium finishes.

Yashvir’s silver continued a remarkable season for the 25-year-old.

He had already won bronze at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, producing a then-personal best of 85.41m with his final throw. That competition featured a podium alongside Chopra and Pathirage.

In Nagoya, Yashvir improved his personal best to 85.72m, moving from Commonwealth Games bronze to Asian Games silver.

Rohit Yadav Adds Another Major Medal

For Rohit, the bronze medal adds another major championship achievement to his season.

The Athletics Federation of India lists his 2026 season best at 87.68m. Meanwhile, Yashvir entered the Asian Games with an 85.41m best.

Rohit’s performance in Nagoya was built on consistency, with four valid throws exceeding 82 metres.

Men’s Javelin Final Standings

Position	Athlete	Country	Distance
Gold	Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage	Sri Lanka	88.55m
Silver	Yashvir Singh	India	85.72m (PB)
Bronze	Rohit Yadav	India	84.35m

India Wins Two Javelin Medals in Nagoya

India leaves the Asian Games with two medals in men’s javelin, maintaining its presence at the top of the event despite the absence of its reigning champion.

For Yashvir, it was a debut silver and a new personal best. For Rohit, it was a bronze built on consistency.

Two Indian athletes, two medals, and another strong showing for Indian javelin.

Yashvir Singh wins silver and Rohit Yadav wins bronze in the men's javelin throw at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya.

India’s Seema Kaliramana finished fourth in the women’s discus throw final at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya. She produced a personal best of 59.88 metres but narrowly missed out on a medal.

Seema improved as the competition progressed and saved her best effort for the fifth round. Despite her career-best throw, she finished behind three athletes who all crossed the 61-metre mark.

Seema Kaliramana Sets Personal Best of 59.88m

Seema delivered a consistent series throughout the final. Her best effort came in the fifth round, when she threw 59.88m.

Her complete series was:

53.67m, 58.40m, 58.18m, 56.89m, 59.88m and 59.81m.

The 59.88m throw improved on her previous personal best of 59.73m, set at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar in June.

Her performance briefly brought her into medal contention. However, she ultimately finished 1.55 metres short of the bronze-medal mark.

Feng Bin Wins Gold in Women’s Discus Throw

China’s Feng Bin won gold with a throw of 63.69m.

Her compatriot Jiang Zhichao secured silver with 62.25m. Thailand’s Subenrat Insaeng completed the podium with a bronze-winning effort of 61.43m.

All three medallists crossed the 61-metre mark, highlighting the competitive standard of the final.

Sanya Yadav Finishes Eighth in Asian Games Debut

India also had Sanya Yadav competing in the women’s discus final. Making her first appearance in an Asian Games final, she finished eighth with a best throw of 49.90m.

Sanya qualified after a strong domestic season. She recorded a personal best and season best of 56.05m at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships.

She also finished second behind Seema at the same competition. Sanya threw 56.05m, while Seema recorded 59.73m. Both marks met the Asian Games qualification standard.

India Finishes Without a Medal in Women’s Discus

India ended the women’s discus throw final without a medal. Seema finished fourth, while Sanya placed eighth.

Although Seema missed the podium, her personal best of 59.88m marked a significant improvement. She also recorded two throws above 59 metres in her final two attempts.

Her performance demonstrated the level required to challenge for a medal at the continental event. However, the three athletes ahead of her produced throws beyond 61 metres.

For Seema, the final brought a career-best performance and a fourth-place finish in a highly competitive Asian Games field.

Nagoya: Tajinderpal Singh Toor had to wait until his fifth attempt to make his mark. The defending Asian Games champion then produced a throw of 20.64m to win silver at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Toor was in third place after four rounds. However, his fifth throw moved him into second, just 17 centimetres short of gold.

The silver also secured his third consecutive Asian Games medal, adding another achievement to the career of one of India’s most decorated field athletes.

Toor Delivers When It Matters Most

For Toor, the medal was about more than another podium finish.

Questions had surrounded his selection and fitness ahead of the Games. He had also faced public accusations of faking injuries. Those claims were contested, but they added to the attention surrounding the 31-year-old in the build-up to Nagoya.

Once the competition began, Toor had the opportunity to respond through his performance.

He did so with a throw of 20.64m.

His series showed a difficult start, with throws of 20.06m, 20.26m, 19.77m and 19.71m in the first four rounds.

However, with the podium still within reach, he produced his best effort on the fifth attempt. His final throw was a foul.

The fifth-round effort proved decisive in securing silver.

Third Consecutive Asian Games Medal

Toor has now won medals at three successive editions of the Asian Games.

He claimed gold in Jakarta in 2018 and defended his title in Hangzhou in 2022. He has now added silver in Nagoya.

The result highlights his consistency at the continental level. He has remained among Asia’s leading shot putters for nearly a decade.

Although he could not secure a third consecutive gold, the silver extends his impressive record at the Games.

From a Village in Punjab to Asian Games Champion

Toor’s journey began in Khosa Pando village in Moga, Punjab, where he grew up in a farming family.

He initially wanted to become a cricketer. However, his father encouraged him to take up shot put.

Toor later joined the Indian Navy through its sports quota and built his career around the event.

His first major international breakthrough came in 2017, when he won silver at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar.

A year later, he delivered the performance that established him as one of India’s leading throwers.

The 2018 Asian Games Gold That Changed His Career

At the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Toor threw 20.75m to win gold.

The performance also broke both the Asian Games and Indian national records. It was India’s first athletics gold medal at those Games.

The victory came after a disappointing eighth-place finish at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

His response in Jakarta marked a major turning point in his career.

Toor went on to win the Asian Championships title in 2019. He also qualified for the Tokyo Olympics after producing a massive 21.49m throw in 2021, which set national and Asian records at the time.

Setbacks, Comebacks and a National Record

Toor’s career has also included difficult moments.

At the Tokyo Olympics, he competed with a heavily bandaged shoulder but failed to reach the final.

However, he returned to the top in the years that followed.

He won gold medals at the Asian Indoor and Asian Championships before retaining his Asian Games title in Hangzhou.

His current national record stands at 21.77m, set in 2023.

That mark reflects the level he has reached during his career. In Nagoya, however, his immediate goal was not to break the national record. It was to secure a place on the podium.

Fifth-Round Throw Secures Silver in Nagoya

For four rounds, a medal remained uncertain.

Then came the fifth attempt.

20.64m. Silver.

It was not the gold Toor had won at the previous two Asian Games. Nevertheless, the result extended one of the most impressive medal runs in Indian athletics.

After facing questions ahead of the competition, Toor delivered his response on the throwing circle.

Tajinderpal Singh Toor has secured his third consecutive Asian Games medal, adding a silver in Nagoya to his two previous golds.

Tajinderpal Singh Toor competing in the men's shot put at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya.

Nagoya: Damneet Singh finished ninth with a best throw of 67.56m, while Praveen Kumar placed 11th with 65.24m in the men’s hammer throw final at the Asian Games. Both Indians were making their debut at the continental Games.

For Damneet, the result marked a disappointing end to a season in which he had demonstrated the ability to compete at a significantly higher level.

Damneet Singh Falls Short of 70m Mark

The 22-year-old produced the biggest breakthrough of his senior career in March at the Indian Open Throws, where he crossed the 70m mark for the first time, recording three throws beyond the distance in the same competition.

He opened with 70.64m, followed by 70.21m on his third attempt and 70.04m on his fifth.

The performance also took him beyond the Asian Games qualification standard of 69.12m, marking a significant milestone for a thrower working to establish himself at the senior level.

However, maintaining that level proved difficult in the months that followed.

Eighth Place at Németh Pál Memorial in Hungary

In August, Damneet competed at the Németh Pál Memorial, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver-level meeting in Hungary.

He finished eighth in the eight-athlete final with a best throw of 66.67m.

His series included 66.67m, 65.92m, 65.52m and 66.14m, followed by two fouls.

Croatia’s Matija Gregurić won the competition with a throw of 74.85m.

Damneet Finishes Ninth at Asian Games

At the Asian Games, Damneet once again fell short of the 70m mark.

His opening throw of 67.56m remained his best effort, leaving him outside the top eight and ending his competition after three attempts.

Praveen Kumar, who was also making his Asian Games debut, recorded 65.24m to finish 11th.

Both Indians fell short of the performances they would have wanted in the final.

Damneet’s 70m Throws Offer Encouragement

Despite the disappointing result in Nagoya, Damneet’s season includes a significant marker of progress.

His three throws beyond 70m at the Indian Open Throws in March demonstrated that he has the distance required to compete at this level.

The next challenge is consistency.

The Asian Games marked Damneet’s first appearance at a major continental championship. While his ninth-place finish was not the result he would have wanted, his performances earlier in the season showed that the 70m barrier is within his reach.

For now, the men’s hammer throw final in Nagoya ends with 67.56m and ninth place for Damneet Singh, while Praveen Kumar finishes 11th with 65.24m.

Neither performance was enough to reach the top eight, but the experience gives both first-time Asian Games competitors another reference point as they continue to develop.

Damneet Singh and Praveen Kumar compete in the men's hammer throw at the Asian Games 2026

Aichi-Nagoya: Manpreet Kaur became the third Indian woman to win an Asian Games medal in the shot put, securing bronze at the Aichi-Nagoya Games on Friday with a best throw of 17.17m.

The 36-year-old Railways athlete finished behind Chinese duo Song Jiayuan and Zhang Linru, who claimed gold and silver respectively. Manpreet’s bronze adds her name to a select group of Indian women who have stood on the Asian Games podium in the event.

Before Manpreet, only Barbara Webster in 1951 and Kiran Baliyan in 2023 had won Asian Games medals in the women’s shot put for India. Both athletes had also secured bronze.

Manpreet did not have the smoothest start to the competition. Her opening throw measured 16.32m, leaving her with work to do as the field began to establish itself. However, she gradually found her rhythm, improving her mark with each successive attempt.

The breakthrough came with her fourth throw, when she finally crossed the 17-metre mark with 17.17m. That effort proved crucial and effectively secured her place on the podium.

For Manpreet, the medal comes after a long career at the top level of Indian shot put. Her lifetime best remains 18.06m, a mark she produced in 2022 that was also the Indian national record at the time.

Her 2026 season had already shown signs of a strong return to form. At Indian Series-5 in Sangrur, Manpreet won gold with a season-best 17.33m, producing what was then the best throw by an Indian woman in nearly two years. Her performance was also her best throw in almost three years.

The Indian national record has since moved beyond that mark. Abha Khatua’s 18.41m, recorded in 2024, stands as the current national record according to the information provided.

At the Asian Games, however, Manpreet’s task was not simply about chasing her personal best. She had to remain competitive against a strong Chinese contingent, with Song establishing control of the competition from the very first round.

Song led after her opening throw and strengthened her position with a season-best 19.40m on her second attempt. The performance continued China’s extraordinary dominance in the event at the Asian Games, with the country claiming its 13th consecutive women’s shot put gold.

Zhang Linru completed the Chinese one-two, leaving Manpreet to fight for bronze.

India also had another representative in the final, with Krishna Jayasankar Menon finishing fifth. Her best effort measured 16.57m, putting two Indian athletes inside the top five of the competition.

For Manpreet, the result marks another significant chapter in a career that has spanned more than a decade. At 36, she was able to produce when it mattered most, recovering from a modest opening throw and building her series before finding the 17-metre mark with her fourth attempt.

The 17.17m was well short of her lifetime best of 18.06m, but it was enough to deliver an Asian Games medal and place her alongside Webster and Baliyan as the only Indian women to have won a shot put medal at the continental Games.

After Kiran Baliyan’s bronze in 2023, Manpreet has now ensured that India has won medals in the women’s shot put at consecutive Asian Games.

For the Railways athlete, Friday’s bronze was a reward for persistence and a reminder of her longevity in Indian athletics.

Manpreet Kaur — 17.17m, Asian Games bronze.

At 36, she has added another major medal to her career and written her name into the history of Indian women’s shot put.

Manpreet Kaur Asian Games bronze in shot put

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.

Nirbhay Choudhary breaks India’s hammer throw national record with 71.02m

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 ruled out of Asian Games 2026 due to ankle injury

India’s javelin superstar Neeraj Chopra has been forced to bring his 2026 season to an early end after suffering a ligament tear in his ankle during training, ruling him out of the biggest competitions still remaining on his calendar.

The injury comes at a particularly unfortunate time for Chopra, who had entered the final stretch of the season in strong form. Just recently, he produced a season-best 88.05m at the Lausanne Diamond League, finishing second behind Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage by just nine centimetres.

Chopra was scheduled to compete in three major events in September:

5 September — Diamond League Final
13 September — World Athletics Ultimate
28 September — Asian Games 2026

His withdrawal from the Asian Games is particularly significant for India. Chopra was the reigning Asian Games champion, having won gold in the men’s javelin at the 2022 edition in Hangzhou.

India had enjoyed a historic 1-2 finish in the event in 2022, with Chopra taking gold and Kishore Jena winning silver. Chopra’s absence therefore leaves a major void in India’s javelin campaign in 2026.

The setback also comes as India looks to build on its impressive athletics performance at the previous Asian Games. At the 2022 edition, Indian athletes won 29 athletics medals, including six gold, 14 silver and nine bronze.

For Chopra, the immediate priority will now be recovery rather than competition. After a season that saw him continue to compete at the highest level and reach the 88-metre mark again in Lausanne, his campaign ends just as the most important battles were approaching.

The medals will have to wait. For now, the javelin runway can wait too.

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.