Rohit Yadav becomes only the third Indian to breach 87m in Javelin throw

By Samira Vishwas On Jun 29, 2026

Rohit Yadav etched his name into Indian athletics history by becoming only the third Indian javelin thrower to breach the 87m mark, while Murali Sreeshankar produced the best long jump by an Asian this year on the final day of the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.

Rohit clinched the men’s javelin throw title with a massive personal best of 87.05m on his final attempt, improving on the 83.76m he had recorded earlier this month. The effort made him only the third Indian after Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena to cross the 87m barrier.

The throw is also the second-best mark in the world this season, behind only Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga (92.62m). Rohit had already surpassed the Athletics Federation of India’s Asian Games qualifying standard earlier this season and is part of India’s Commonwealth Games squad.

Yashvir Singh finished second with 83.72m, while World Championships finalist Sachin Yadav took bronze with 82.32m. Both athletes also cleared the Asian Games qualification mark.

Sreeshankar continues dominant run

Commonwealth Games silver medallist Murali Sreeshankar claimed the men’s long jump title with a leap of 8.38m, the best by an Asian athlete this year.

The victory extended Sreeshankar’s unbeaten run to five competitions in 2026, with each of his winning jumps crossing the eight-metre mark. Shahnawaz Khan (8.30m) and David P (8.06m) completed the podium, with all three athletes surpassing the Asian Games qualification standard.

Elsewhere, Vishal T.K. won the men’s 400m in 45.43s ahead of Manu T.S. (45.60s) and Jay Kumar (45.73s), with all three dipping under the Asian Games qualifying mark.

Prachi claimed the women’s 400m title in 53.24s, while Olympian Kiran Pahal (53.45s) and Devyaniba Zala (53.46s) also secured qualification.

National record holder Pooja Singh won the women’s high jump with 1.83m, Ankita Dhyani qualified for the Asian Games after winning the women’s 3000m steeplechase in 9:44.05, and Pooja topped the women’s heptathlon with 5,619 points as the championships came to a close.