Rumesh Pathirage and Rohit Yadav: After their javelin throw competition at the continental showpiece ended, Indian javelin throw bronze winner Rohit Yadav and emerging star Rumesh Pathirage of Sri Lanka exchanged their Asian Games jerseys as a sign of respect. Meanwhile, India recorded a 2-3 finish at the podium with Yashvir Singh clinching the silver medal in Neeraj Chopra’s absence.
Asian Games 2026: Rohit Yadav and Yashvir Singh Star in Neeraj Chopra’s Absence
Indian javelin athletes Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav filled javelin throw superstar Neeraj Chopra’s gigantic shoes really well with a double podium finish, but it was the red-hot Sri Lankan star Rumesh who took the top prize with a best throw of 88.55 m, coming after his Commonwealth Games gold medal, where he edged past Neeraj.
Neeraj Chopra after earlier being named in the athletics contingent for the Asian Games 2026 had to withdraw his name after an injury prevented him from competing.
In the javelin final at the Asian Games, Yashvir produced a personal best of 85.72m in his final attempt to get the silver medal, while Rohit Yadav secured the bronze medal with a best throw of 84.35m. He opened with 77.25m before improving to 82.40m in the second round and 84.35m in the third. Rohit fouled his final attempt, but his 84.35m effort was enough to secure him a place on the podium.
Rumesh Pathirage and Rohit Yadav Swap Jerseys After Asian Games 2026
Posting on his Instagram, Rumesh posted a picture of him and Rohit swapping jerseys, captioned, “With the Indian javelin champion Rohit”.
Having won 13 out of 14 events he has participated in and having achieved the season-best throw of 92.62 m on June 4, 2026 at the Rome Diamond League, Rumesh has left a strong stamp of authority on javelin throw and the triumphs at CWG and Asian Games has sealed his spot as another rising Asian javelin star after former Olympic gold medalist and world champion Neeraj Chopra and current Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan.
Pragun is a passionate cricket follower and writer who deeply loves the game. Having completed his education with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has an experience of almost two years in diverse fields. He is known for his statistical and analytical articles. Pragun tries to bring life to his articles by adding a layer of enthusiasm from the perspective of a hardcore fan. Apart from writing cricket articles, he sometimes appears on YouTube videos on a friend’s podcast.
