Rohit Yadav's Record 87.05m Throw Makes Him World No. 2, Headlines National Inter-State Athletics Championships
Rohit Yadav's record-breaking 87.05m throw made him India's top javelin thrower this season and World No. 2, as several athletes achieved Asian Games qualification in Bhubaneswar.
India's Rohit Yadav delivered the performance of his career by producing a massive throw of 87.05 metres to win the men's javelin gold medal on the final day of the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
The 25-year-old achieved the remarkable distance on his sixth and final attempt, breaking the previous meet record of 84.35m set by Manu DP in 2022. The throw also improved his personal best of 83.04m, recorded in 2023.
With the performance, Rohit climbed to second place in the current global men's javelin rankings, trailing only Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (92.62m). He also became India's leading javelin thrower this season, moving ahead of two-time Olympic and World Championships medallist Neeraj Chopra, who is currently fourth on the global list with a season-best throw of 85.69m.
Speaking after his victory, Rohit said the achievement had boosted his confidence ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Asian Games in Japan. He revealed that while he had consistently crossed 86m and 87m in training, he had struggled to replicate those performances in competition until now.
"I finally found the right rhythm in my last attempt. This performance gives me confidence for the major international events ahead," Rohit said.
Yashvir Singh (83.72m) and Sachin Yadav (82.32m) finished second and third respectively, with both athletes also surpassing the Asian Games qualification mark of 77.87m.
In the men's long jump, Kerala's Sreeshankar M claimed gold with an impressive leap of 8.38m, producing five legal jumps above the eight-metre mark. His consistency earned him the Best Male Athlete award of the championships.
Several other athletes achieved Asian Games qualification standards across multiple disciplines on the concluding day. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) is expected to announce the Indian contingent for the Asian Games on Monday.
In the overall team standings, Tamil Nadu emerged as the overall champions with 138 points. Uttar Pradesh won the men's team title with 71 points, while Haryana claimed the women's team championship with 82 points.
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