| India and javelin have been producing wonders for many years now. A boy from Panipat, Haryana, who clinched India’s first-ever Olympic track & field gold medal in javelin at the Tokyo Olympics, sparked something much bigger. It has taken time, but now the results are visible for everyone to see.
Javelin has unofficially become one of the favourite sports for many Indians—not only to watch but also to compete in. More athletes are choosing the event, as reflected by the growing participation at the national level and the high standard of performances, which at times rival the global level. For example, at the latest Indian National Championships, Uttar Pradesh’s Rohit Yadav was trailing until the final round before producing a lifetime best throw of 87.05m to clinch the title. That mark currently stands as the second-best throw in the world this season. In the same competition, three athletes crossed the 80m mark. Interestingly, a total of seven Indian athletes have crossed the 80m mark this season, with two of them achieving the feat for the first time in their careers.
These seven Indian athletes are the highest by any nation this season. Collectively, they have also produced 16 performances over 80m this season—the highest total by any country.
These figures are based on World Athletics statistics as of 13 July 2026. As per World Athletics, only the best throw from a single competition is counted as one performance. The United States ranks second with three throwers crossing 80m a combined 14 times this season:
Germany has three throwers who have crossed the 80m mark a combined five times this season:
India’s neighbour Sri Lanka has one thrower, Rumesh Pathirage, who has crossed 80m seven times this season. He also owns the world-leading mark of 92.62m. Among the top 10 throws in the world this season, India has two entries—Rohit Yadav’s 87.05m is ranked second, while Neeraj Chopra’s 85.69m is fifth. Apart from India, only the United States has two throwers in the world’s top 10 this season. |