New Delhi: In the humid Bhubaneswar air earlier this week, when Rohit Yadav’s javelin flew to a distance of 87.05m, it not only ended his wait for an 85m-plus throw, but also culminated a redemption arc that began almost two years back with a surgery on his right elbow. The rehabilitation took longer than expected, and when Rohit returned to action a year later, his performances and confidence were never the same.
He struggled to touch 80m in 2023, hitting the mark in only three of the nine competitions he appeared in. In 2024, he failed to clear 80m even once before familiar inconsistency returned in 2025.
Things, however, have been looking up this year with Rohit going 80m-plus in three of his four competitions. His winning effort at the Inter State event in Bhubaneswar made him the leading Indian javelin thrower this season and took him to the second spot on the global list behind Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (92.62m).
“I was stuck at 82-83m for a long time, so I needed this (87.05m) throw desperately. It has given me a lot of confidence as well as relief,” said Rohit, who was bogged down by a stiff right shoulder for most of last season.
“I have been touching 85m in training over the past few months, and it was only a matter of repeating it in competition. Now that I have done it once, the mind and body know how it’s supposed to be executed. I will look to hit 85-86m consistently. I don’t want to be remembered as a one-throw wonder,” the 25-year-old added.
{{/usCountry}}“I have been touching 85m in training over the past few months, and it was only a matter of repeating it in competition. Now that I have done it once, the mind and body know how it’s supposed to be executed. I will look to hit 85-86m consistently. I don’t want to be remembered as a one-throw wonder,” the 25-year-old added.
{{/usCountry}}Rohit spent a good chunk of 2024 shuttling between his training base in NIS Patiala, SAI Trivandrum and the IIS facility in Bellary. In Trivandrum, he tried what he calls beach training while much of his strength and conditioning was done under the supervision of Spencer Mackay at IIS.
“The beach training was quite old school. It involved lots of running on sand. I trained with our elite long jumpers there, which broke the training monotony.”
Post recovery, Rohit’s focus has been on bulking up. His maintenance weight has gone up from 84kg in 2023 to 88-89kg now, and the increased muscle mass, he believes, will help him inch towards the 90m-mark.
“Coaches in Patiala as well as experts in IIS have repeatedly told me I have the potential to get close to 90m, but that needed me to get physically stronger. For a javelin thrower of my height (6 feet), I can go as high as 90kgs but that obviously has to be pure muscle,” he explained.
Having made the cut for both Commonwealth Games (July 23-August 2) and Asian Games (September 19 to October 4), Rohit hopes to win a medal in both competitions. India’s last javelin medal in CWG came in 2018 when Neeraj Chopra won gold, while the 2023 Asian Games saw Chopra and Kishore Jena complete an Indian 1-2. Rohit and Manu DP competed in CWG 2022 but ended fifth and sixth respectively.
“The javelin competition at CWG is quite elite and it will take a special effort to win a medal there. Asian Games won’t be easy either. But if I am able to hit 86-87m there, I will be in medal contention in most competitions,” said Rohit, who remembers watching Jena and Chopra excel in Hangzhou on a giant screen.
“It’s not easy to realise that you have been left behind. I was very happy for Jena and Neeraj but I knew I could have been there. I remember I was doing my rehab at IIS and they had put up a big screen. It was a strange feeling, watching them on TV and not being able to compete,” he said.
“It was my lowest phase, to be honest. I would often turn to my younger brother Rohan or my childhood friend in my native Jaunpur for support. Of course, Neeraj would often check in. I hope there’s an Indian 1-2 at the Asian Games again, and this time I am on the podium. Asian Games will likely be my season-ending competition, so I’ll go all out. It’ll be fun.”