Neeraj Chopra Finishes Ahead Of Arshad Nadeem In CWG Javelin Qualification But This Star Takes Top Spot
India's star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who is a gold medallist at the Tokyo Olympics as well as the 2018 Commonwealth Games, qualified for the CWG 2026 final in Glasgow on Thursday.
- Neeraj Chopra qualified for the 2026 Commonwealth Games javelin final in Glasgow with 79.61m
- Neeraj ranked fifth in qualification, while Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem finished seventh
- Rumesh Tharanga of Sri Lanka grabbed the pole position with his only throw of 82.84m
India's star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who is a gold medallist at the Tokyo Olympics as well as the 2018 Commonwealth Games, qualified for the CWG 2026 final in Glasgow on Thursday. A total of three Indian players made it to the main event with Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav being the other two athletes. The final will take place in the early hours of August 1. Neeraj recorded a best throw of 79.61 metres, comfortably finishing ahead of his Pakistani opponent Arshad Nadeem, whose best effort was 78.63m which came in the first attempt. Neeraj began with a throw of 76.28m before registering a distance of 79.61m, which comfortably took him to the final. He ended the qualification round in fifth spot, while Arshad finished at seventh position. Rumesh Tharanga of Sri Lanka grabbed the pole position with his only throw of 82.84m. Grenada's Anderson Peters (81.29m) came second while Douw Smit (80.64m) of South Africa stood third.
India's Rohit recorded a best throw of 78.37m, while Yashvir registered a distance of 78.36m. They grabbed the ninth and 10th spots, respectively.
Neeraj won the gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast but missed the Birmingham 2022 edition due to an injury. The Olympic medallist has now returned to the Games in Glasgow with an eye on securing his second Commonwealth Games title.
Earlier, the former world champion competed at the Doha Diamond League, marking his first competition of the 2026 season after recovering from a back injury.
In Doha, the former Olympic gold medallist dusted off the rust and soon found his groove on the third attempt, registering a throw of 85.69 metres to move up to third in the standings at the end of round three.
The former World No. 1 followed it up with a throw of 83.45 metres in the fourth round and needed a throw in excess of 86 metres in the fifth round to remain in the top three and qualify for the final shootout.
Unfortunately, as things panned out, Neeraj recorded another foul throw and dropped to fourth, bringing an end to his participation.
(With PTI Inputs)