Highlights:
- Neeraj Chopra wins silver with a season-best 85.83m throw.
- Yashvir Singh claims bronze with a personal-best 85.41m.
- Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage takes gold with 89.75m.
- India finishes with two athletes on the javelin podium.
- Pakistan's defending champion is eliminated after three rounds.
Neeraj Chopra wasn't at his best in difficult weather conditions, but the Indian javelin star still earned a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games on Friday. Fellow Indian Yashvir Singh delivered a stunning final throw to claim the bronze medal in his Games debut.
The 28-year-old Tokyo Olympic champion recorded a season-best throw of 85.83 meters on his second attempt, which was enough to secure second place. The mark slightly improved on his previous season best of 85.69 meters, which he recorded while finishing fourth at the Doha Diamond League on June 19—his only other competition this season.
Yashvir, 24, produced the biggest surprise of the event. Sitting in seventh place before the final round, he launched a personal-best throw of 85.41 meters on his sixth and final attempt to move into third place and join Chopra on the podium. His previous personal best was 83.72 meters, while his best throw earlier in the competition had been 81.33 meters.
Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage won the gold medal with a throw of 89.75 meters, recorded on his second attempt.
His performance was especially impressive given the cold and windy conditions. Pathirage remains the only javelin thrower this season to surpass the 90-meter mark, having thrown a personal and season-best 92.62 meters while winning the Rome Diamond League in June.
India's third competitor, Rohit Yadav, finished seventh with a best throw of 81.56 meters.
Athletes from the Indian subcontinent swept all three medals in the men's javelin event.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's defending Commonwealth Games champion and reigning Olympic gold medalist was eliminated after the first three rounds with a best throw of 77.41 meters.
Reigning world champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago finished sixth with 82.55 meters.
Chopra entered the competition after recovering from a lower back injury that had sidelined him since September last year. The injury delayed his return until the Doha Diamond League earlier this season. This marked his second Commonwealth Games appearance after winning gold at the 2018 Games in Gold Coast.
Chopra opened with a throw of 80.97 meters before producing his best effort of 85.83 meters in the second round. His next two throws measured 81.29 meters and 80.73 meters, while his final two attempts were fouls.
He briefly led the competition before Pathirage responded with his winning throw of 89.75 meters, just 25 centimeters short of the coveted 90-meter mark. Interestingly, all five of Pathirage's other attempts were fouls.
The 23-year-old Sri Lankan has enjoyed an outstanding season, winning seven of the eight competitions he has entered. His victories include Diamond League titles in Doha and Rome, along with a runner-up finish in Rabat, Morocco.
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