Nagoya: India secured a silver-bronze double in the men’s javelin throw at the 2026 Asian Games on Monday, with Yash Vir Singh finishing second and Rohit Yadav taking third at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium.

Yash Vir produced a personal-best throw of 85.72 metres to win the silver medal, while Rohit registered 84.35 metres for bronze. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage won the gold medal with a best effort of 88.55 metres.

The result gave India two medals in the men’s javelin for the second consecutive Asian Games. At the 2022 Hangzhou Games, held in 2023, Neeraj Chopra won gold with 88.88 metres and Kishore Jena claimed silver with 87.54 metres.

Yash Vir saves best throw for final attempt

Yash Vir began the competition with an 84.31-metre effort before improving to 85.14 metres with his fifth throw.

That effort moved him ahead of Rohit and into the silver-medal position, but the Indian still had one attempt remaining.

He produced his best performance of the competition with his sixth and final throw, sending the javelin 85.72 metres. The effort surpassed his previous personal best and secured the silver medal.

The performance continued Yash Vir’s strong run in international competition during 2026. He had won bronze at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games earlier this year with a personal-best effort of 85.41 metres.

His Asian Games performance now adds a silver medal to that international record and establishes another personal milestone.

Rohit Yadav adds another javelin medal for India

Rohit Yadav finished third with an 84.35-metre throw, completing India’s double podium finish.

Rohit entered the competition with a personal best of 87.68 metres, achieved in Bhubaneswar in August. Although he could not reproduce that distance in Nagoya, his 84.35-metre effort was enough to secure the bronze.

The medal also strengthens India’s presence in men’s javelin at the Asian Games, a discipline that has become one of the country’s most prominent athletics events in recent years.

India’s back-to-back double podium finishes mean the country has now won two men’s javelin medals at each of the last two editions of the continental Games.

Sri Lanka’s Tharanga wins gold

Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage dominated the competition to claim the gold medal with 88.55 metres.

The 23-year-old arrived in Nagoya as the highest-ranked javelin thrower in the field based on his performances during 2026.

Tharanga had produced a Sri Lankan national record of 92.62 metres in Rome in June. He followed that with another major effort of 92.07 metres in Zurich.

Earlier this month, he won the World Athletics Ultimate Championship with a throw of 91.09 metres.

His 88.55-metre effort in Nagoya was below those distances but still proved sufficient to finish more than two metres ahead of Yash Vir and take the Asian Games title.

Arshad Nadeem finishes fourth

Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem finished outside the medals after recording a best throw of 80.29 metres.

Arshad opened the competition with 76.69 metres before improving to 80.29 metres with his third attempt. He missed his second, fourth, fifth and sixth attempts and could not improve his position.

The fourth-place finish meant Arshad missed the Asian Games podium despite entering the competition as one of the most prominent names in the field.

The result also produced a notable contrast with the previous Asian Games, when India and Pakistan had both featured prominently in men’s javelin competition.

India continues its javelin success

Men’s javelin has become an important event for India at major international athletics competitions, particularly following Neeraj Chopra’s rise to the top of the sport.

Chopra’s gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games with 88.88 metres was followed by Kishore Jena’s silver, giving India a one-two finish in 2023.

This time, India again secured two medals, although both were different from the previous edition. Yash Vir’s silver and Rohit’s bronze ensured that the country remained on the Asian Games podium in men’s javelin.

The performances also underline the depth developing behind Chopra in Indian javelin. While the Olympic and world champion was not part of this particular podium, Yash Vir and Rohit were able to deliver medals for the country on the continental stage.

Yash Vir’s personal best highlights India’s campaign

The most significant individual achievement for Yash Vir was his 85.72-metre final throw.

His progression during the competition — from 84.31 metres to 85.14 metres and finally 85.72 metres — showed a steady improvement across his attempts. The final throw not only secured the silver but also bettered his previous personal best of 85.41 metres.

For Rohit, the 84.35-metre throw was below his season’s best level but still delivered a podium finish.

With both Indians finishing inside the top three, the men’s javelin competition provided another successful outing for India’s athletics contingent at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News Karnataka staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)