Beyond the Silver: Neeraj Chopra sees Indian javelin’s bright future …

Rohan Chowdhury, Glasgow

The men’s javelin final, one of the most anticipated events of the Commonwealth Games 2026 athletics programme, ended in a South Asian clean sweep at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow. newsbetting.bond

Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage struck gold with a best throw of 89.75m, while India’s Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra settled for silver with his season’s best effort of 85.83m. India’s Yash Vir Singh, competing in his first senior international event, claimed bronze with a personal best of 85.41m.

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The weather forecast had predicted rain, but the showers stayed away. What remained, however, was the biting cold and swirling winds that made life difficult for the throwers. Several attempts drifted towards the media centre end because of the gusts, highlighting the challenging conditions. Chopra himself arrived for the post-event media interaction wearing a woollen cap.

“However, better than yesterday. As the competition progressed, the wind started to increase its power,” Chopra said while describing the conditions.

While the medals were decided on the runway, the evening also reflected the remarkable rise of Indian men’s javelin over the last few years, and the leadership qualities of Neeraj Chopra.

At the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, Kishore Jena shared the podium with Chopra. Since then, athletes such as Sachin Yadav, Rohit Yadav, DP Manu and now Yash Vir Singh have consistently emerged on the international stage, underlining India’s growing depth in the discipline. Through injuries, setbacks and changing competitors, Chopra has remained the constant figure leading the group.

That leadership was once again evident in Glasgow.

Making his debut at a major international championship, Yash Vir entered the final under immense pressure. Chopra revealed that he had been motivating the youngster throughout the competition.

“I am very happy that Yashveer did his personal best at such a place where it was very important.”

“I told Yash in the qualification round to give that extra effort and make the final. In the final, I told him that this is the last throw and to give his best, so that he could motivate himself and all the Indians.”

Yash Vir responded with the biggest throw of his career to secure a place on the podium.

Chopra also reflected on Rohit Yadav’s performance while praising the depth that Indian javelin has developed.

“Rohit’s throw was a little disappointing today, but Yash produced a very good throw. I always tell him that opportunities like these, especially at major Games that come every four years, should never be wasted. You get such chances after a long time. Today, Yash made full use of that opportunity and delivered a great throw.”

Perhaps Chopra’s most telling comments were about the future of Indian javelin. Having endured an injury-hit phase himself, the Olympic champion said it gives him confidence to see several Indian throwers capable of delivering on the big stage.

“I feel very good. The most important thing is that if I’m not on the field because of an injury, it’s reassuring to know that there are people who can carry the event forward and throw well. They are doing very well. Yash Vir has crossed 85 metres now. Rohit had thrown 87 metres before coming here. Sachin is also doing very well. Our junior javelin throwers are performing really well, and I’m very happy to see Indian javelin growing so much.”

For years, Indian men’s javelin revolved around Neeraj Chopra. In Glasgow, even with a silver, the Olympic champion perhaps found a bigger reason to smile — the next generation is already announcing itself.

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India will head into the August 1 competitions at the Commonwealth Games 2026 with 23 medals, including five gold, 12 silver and six bronze, to sit 10th in the overall medal standings. With several boxing finals, athletics medal events and para athletics competitions lined up on Saturday, the Indian contingent has a strong chance of climbing further up the table.

Friday turned out to be one of India’s best days in Glasgow, thanks to a memorable performance in athletics.

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra marked his return to the Commonwealth Games podium by winning the silver medal in the men’s javelin throw with a season-best effort of 85.83m. While Chopra could not defend the gold he had won in 2018, his performance was an encouraging sign as he continues his comeback from a back injury.

India celebrated another medal in the same event when Yashvir Singh produced the throw of his career. The 24-year-old, making his Commonwealth Games debut, registered a personal best of 85.41m with his final attempt to clinch the bronze medal. His late effort saw India finish with two athletes on the javelin podium.

The boxing team also continued its strong campaign. Several Indian boxers confirmed medals by reaching the finals, including Lovlina Borgohain, Preeti, Jaismine, Priya, Arundhati Choudhary, Ankush Panghal and Jadumani Singh Mandengbam. Their gold medal bouts are scheduled for August 1 and will play a major role in India’s medal tally.

India also enjoyed success in table tennis. Both the men’s and women’s teams defeated England in the semifinals to book places in the gold medal matches against Malaysia. While the medals are yet to be decided, India remains in contention for two more gold medals in the team events.

Medal events are spread across athletics, para athletics, boxing, judo, track cycling and lawn bowls on Saturday and India will be looking to continue its strong run and move closer to the leading nations in the standings.

Updated CWG 2026 medal tally

Yesterday, every conversation around Scotstoun Stadium revolved around one name, Neeraj Chopra. The Olympic champion had once again become the face of Indian athletics, with fans, journalists and volunteers eagerly waiting for the men’s javelin final. When he stepped onto the runway, the atmosphere reflected exactly what one would expect whenever one of India’s biggest sporting icons competes. Neeraj eventually claimed the silver medal with his season’s best throw, ensuring India remained firmly in the spotlight.

Twenty-four hours later, the setting has changed only slightly.

The conversations are now about India’s para athletes.

The excitement, however, is exactly the same.

As Scotstoun hosts another day of athletics competition, several Indian para athletes are in medal contention across different classifications. Fans scanning the schedule are doing what they did yesterday, calculating medal chances, discussing rivals and hoping to hear the Indian national anthem by the end of the session.

That perhaps is the Commonwealth Games’ greatest achievement.

Unlike many multi-sport events where para sport often occupies a separate space in the calendar, Glasgow’s programme treats para athletics as an integral part of the competition. The same stadium, the same officials, the same scoreboards, the same television coverage and, most importantly, the same spectators become part of both able-bodied and para events. It is not a transition from one Games to another. It is simply the next event on the schedule.

This philosophy has been central to the Commonwealth Games for years, but Glasgow 2026 has strengthened it further. The athletics programme features a record 16 para athletics medal events, while six sports across these Games include integrated para competitions, reinforcing the event’s commitment to inclusion.

What makes that significant is not merely the number of medal events.

It is the normality.

Yesterday, supporters celebrated a world-famous Olympic champion. Today, they are just as invested in athletes competing in T and F classifications that many casual fans may not even fully understand. The applause does not become quieter because the event is a para final. The anticipation before the start remains the same, and so does the emotion when medals are decided.

That is not something every sporting event can claim.

For decades, para sport has fought for visibility. Separate competitions have produced extraordinary performances, but they have also meant separate audiences and, often, separate conversations. The Commonwealth Games have attempted to bridge that divide by ensuring para athletes are not presented as an add-on but as competitors sharing the same stage.

The result is subtle but powerful.

Young spectators who may have arrived hoping to watch Neeraj Chopra can end up staying for a para sprint final. Families who came to witness a javelin competition discover wheelchair racing or visually impaired sprinting simply because those events naturally follow one another on the timetable.

There is no need for elaborate campaigns to encourage inclusion.

The schedule itself does the job.

Of course, challenges remain. Para sport across the world still battles disparities in funding, media attention and commercial support. One integrated competition cannot erase those realities. Yet events like Glasgow 2026 demonstrate what progress can look like when inclusion is built into the structure rather than treated as a special initiative.

Perhaps that is why the atmosphere at Scotstoun has felt remarkably consistent over the past two days. Yesterday, Indian hopes rested on Neeraj Chopra.

Today, they rest on India’s para athletes. Different names. Different events.

The same heartbeat.

And in that continuity lies one of the Commonwealth Games’ most enduring legacies a reminder that when sport is presented on equal terms, spectators rarely distinguish between able-bodied and para competition. They simply cheer for excellence.

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The first person judoka Asmita Dey wanted to tell about her Commonwealth Games gold was the one person she no longer could do it.

Her father, a cycle mechanic who earned barely Rs 300 a day and raised his family in a mud house in a small village in Tripura, died of a brain stroke seven months ago.

On Friday, as the 23-year-old became the first Indian judoka to win a Commonwealth Games gold in the women’s 48kg category, the medal felt as much his as hers.

“When my father passed away, I thought everything had finished because he was the one who supported me,” Asmita said, struggling to hold back tears after her historic triumph.

For a few moments, the celebrations gave way to memories of the man who had carried her dream long before it became India’s dream.

“I am from a very small village in Tripura. People there don’t dream this big. But Papa always supported me,” she said.

Money was always scarce. Her father repaired bicycles for a living, earning around Rs 300 a day, just enough to keep the household running.

The family lived in a modest mud house, but he never allowed financial hardship to become a hurdle in his daughter playing the sport she loved.

When a knee injury threatened to derail her career, he took her to Delhi for treatment, bought medicines and did everything within his means to ensure she could return to the mat. “He brought me to Delhi for treatment and bought medicines,” she recalled.

His sudden death in December last left Asmita devastated. The man who had been her biggest supporter and constant source of reassurance was gone, and with him, she felt, went her dream of competing on the biggest stage.

But while Asmita struggled to come to terms with the loss, her mother quietly stepped into the role her husband had left behind.

Just 10 days after the funeral, she asked her daughter to return to training. “If I stop you today, your father will think I am shattering your dreams,” she told her.

Asmita packed her bags and returned to the Sports Authority of India centre in Bhopal. Ahead of the Commonwealth Games, she had full of anxiety and endured sleepless nights.

“I have worked so hard for this. Before this medal, I was unable to sleep in India. I used to stay awake thinking about the fights. Even if my body was tired, I was not able to sleep. I used to feel restless and then wake up for training at 5.30.”

The nerves stayed with her after she arrived in Glasgow. “When I reached here, I felt very anxious thinking what will happen. I just kept thinking I have to beat everyone and win,” said Asmita who got a job in UP Police in 2023.

That determination extended beyond the training hall. Even small pleasures became reminders of the goal she was chasing.

Her favourite sweet, ‘laung latta’, bought by her brother, remained untouched in the refrigerator back home. “I would see it in the fridge and many times I almost ate it, but then I stopped myself,” she said with a smile.

On Friday, every sacrifice found its reward. The gold medal rewrote Indian judo’s record books.

Kota (Rajasthan) [India], August 1 (ANI): Indian boxer Arundhati Choudhary’s local coach, Ashok Gautam, expressed confidence in her winning the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 2026 after she advanced to the women’s 70kg final, defeating defending champion Rosie Eccles of Wales in a closely fought semifinal on Friday.

Speaking from Kota, Gautam said Arundhati’s hard work had helped her reach the final and backed her to beat England’s Chantelle Reid in the title clash.

“Arundhati has achieved this milestone with her hard work. She will face England’s Chantelle Reid next. I think Arundhati will win 5-0. She has been performing really well in the CWG. She has been hardworking since the beginning," Gautam told ANI.

The coach also expressed hope that Arundhati would continue her success at the international level and win a gold medal for India at the Olympics.

“I hope she wins Gold for India even in the next Olympics," he said.

Indian boxer Arundhati Choudhary advanced to the women’s 70kg final at the Commonwealth Games 2026 after defeating defending champion Rosie Eccles of Wales in a closely fought semifinal on Friday, according to ESPN.

Arundhati produced a composed performance against the experienced Welsh boxer, using her effective counter-punching and accuracy to edge past her opponent in a split decision victory.

Eccles started aggressively in the opening round and looked to apply early pressure, but Arundhati stayed patient and responded with cleaner punches. A standing count against Eccles late in the round helped the Indian gain momentum, with the judges awarding the round in her favour, according to ESPN. (ANI)

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