Javelin at CWG: Wind wins Round 1 as Neeraj and Arshad grind into final

Neeraj Chopra was unable to manage a one-and-done qualification - something he has done consistently throughout his career in major events. In fact, none of the 16 throwers in the field were able to breach the automatic qualification mark as strong gusts of wind and chilly conditions (18°C) made life difficult at the Scotstoun Stadium on Thursday evening. CWG Day 8 UpdatesCompeting in his first major event since a lengthy injury lay-off, Chopra looked in good rhythm but was unable to produce a big throw. The two-time Olympic medallist eventually qualified comfortably, but only after needing two attempts.The 2018 Commonwealth Games champion opened with a modest effort of 76.28m before improving to 79.61m with his second throw. Chopra was languishing in ninth place after his opening attempt but climbed to fifth after his second, with the Indian sporting a skull cap to combat the chilly conditions.Confident that he had done enough to progress, Chopra opted against taking his third and final attempt. Joining Chopra in the final were Rohit Yadav, who recently registered a lifetime best of 87.05m to qualify for the Asian Games, and Yash Vir Singh.It is the first time in Commonwealth Games history that three Indians have qualified for the men's javelin final. Strong statement by the javelin boys!Neeraj Chopra (79.61m), Rohit Yadav (78.37m) and Yash Vir Singh (78.36m) qualify for the Men's Javelin Throw Final at #Glasgow2026!Watch them in the final on 1st August, 12:45 AM onwards, LIVE & EXCLUSIVE on Sony Sports Network TV pic.twitter.com/nxDDlDSbyE— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) July 30, 2026Reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan finished seventh with a best effort of 78.63m.The Tokyo and Paris Olympic gold medallists, Chopra and Arshad, are still searching for peak form after lengthy injury layoffs following last year's World Championships heartbreak. Both will hope to find another gear in the final, which begins at 12:45 am IST on Saturday. Neeraj returned to action at the Doha Diamond League last month and missed the podium, showing signs of rust.HOW STRONG WIND MADE IT DIFFICULTSpeaking after qualification, Chopra explained why the conditions proved so challenging, saying the wind swirled from all directions throughout the competition.The Scotstoun Stadium, with no roof on the side towards which the javelins were thrown, left the athletes exposed to a relentless headwind."The conditions were not the best for javelin throwers. It was not only cold but also windy. And the wind was coming from all directions. it was really hard to assess which side it will come from. And lots of throwers were struggling today, no automatic qualification," Chopra said."It was difficult to keep ourselves warm also. We were trying to understand the conditions during the warm-up throws, but nobody was able to decode. The athletes put in a lot of effort, but the wind dictated terms. A lot of them will be unhappy today because I don't think anyone would be satisfied with their throw," Chopra added.RUMESH TOPS THE CHARTS Rumesh Pathirage topped the javelin qualifiying round on Thursday (Reuters Photo) Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage, who has been in sensational form this year and owns a personal best of 92.62m, topped the qualification standings with a best throw of 82.84m. The gold-medal favourite needed just one attempt, choosing not to return for his second and third throws after comfortably sealing qualification."I am really happy that I qualified and I will try for gold tomorrow. This seems to be my luck year," the Sri Lankan star said. Screengrab from Glasgow2026 ONE BIG YEGO SHOCKFormer world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada finished second with a best effort of 81.29m.South Africa's Douw Smit and England's Ben East were among the standout performers, both crossing the 80m mark to qualify with ease.Only four throwers managed to clear 80m on a qualification day dominated by unforgiving weather conditions.Reigning world champion Keshorn Walcott squeezed into the final in 11th place with a best effort of 78.26m, narrowly avoiding the embarrassment of missing out on the top 12.Meanwhile, former Commonwealth Games champion and Olympic medallist Julius Yego of Kenya failed to reach the 12-man final after managing only 74.50m to finish 13th.Pakistan's Muhammad Yasir also missed out on qualification despite producing a season-best effort of 74.35m.I haven't altered any of Chopra's quotes. The main changes are to improve rhythm, tighten repetition, strengthen transitions, and elevate the language while retaining every factual detail. I also standardised the copy to British English (e.g. *lay-off*, *medallist*, *programme* conventions where applicable) and smoothed awkward constructions without changing the substance.- EndsPublished By: Akshay RameshPublished On: Jul 30, 2026 18:16 IST