NEW DELHI:

Neeraj Chopra qualified for the men's javelin throw final at the Commonwealth Games 2026 despite difficult weather conditions in Glasgow. After finishing fifth in the qualification round with a best throw of 79.61m, the Olympic champion said the cold and changing winds made it tough for all athletes.

However, he was happy that all three Indian javelin throwers reached the final.

Neeraj in final

Neeraj did enough to secure his place in the 12-man final with a best throw of 79.61m at Scotstoun Stadium. In the gold medal match, he will compete against defending Commonwealth champion Arshad Nadeem, Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, world champion Keshorn Walcott and former world champion Anderson Peters.

India's Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh also qualified, giving India three medal hopes in the final.

'Goal was to reach the final'

Neeraj said he was not looking for a huge throw in the qualification round. His main aim was to book a place in the final.

âIt was really cold and windy, but the throw was okay, the 79m throw. The goal was to go in the final and give my best in the final, so I'm happy with the throw,â Neeraj said.

âConditions are not best for javelin throwers. Not only cold, but it's really windy. The wind was also not in the front; sometimes it's from the side.

It's really hard to process where we have to throw. Sometimes we think, âOkay, we'll throw thereâ, but then the wind comes from the other side. And lots of throwers are struggling today. Nobody touched the automatic qualification mark. It was tough conditions, but we are happy that all three Indians are in the final,â he said.

Expecting a strong final

Neeraj believes the final will be of a very high standard as several top javelin throwers from around the world will be competing for medals.

âYeah, it's a crazy field. For an event like Javelin Throw, that will be a really good final. Hope conditions will be okay tomorrow. Everyone looks in good shape. Let's see tomorrow.â

Praise for Sri Lanka's rising star

Neeraj also praised Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, calling him one of the brightest young talents in the sport. He said it is good to see javelin becoming more popular in South Asia.

âHe's the new kid on the block, the rising star. He throws really well. He's a good friend of mine. This year he has thrown really well. It's good that Javelin is growing in our neighbourhood. It feels good that he did something great for Sri Lanka.â

Neeraj said javelin has become much more popular in recent years. Better coaching, improved facilities and easy access to training information have helped young athletes take up the sport.

âJavelin is really popular in South Asia now. There are lots of Javelin throwers. There are lots of athletes, and they are training for Javelin. So there is a better chance that so many good athletes will come. Earlier, Javelin as a sport was not that famous. But in the last few years, people support javelin and people know about the sport. So they know there is a future, and they really push themselves.

âWe have good facilities now, and we know about javelin. Because when I started, I didn't know how we had to plan for Javelin training and how we had to train. But right now, because of the internet, you can know about Javelin training. So it's really good that people know about Javelin now. That's why people recognise Javelin throw, and they try to give their best.â

Tokyo Olympic gold changed Indian javelin

Neeraj said winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics helped increase interest in javelin across India. He added that the country now has many athletes capable of throwing beyond 80 metres.

âEarlier, there were lots of other really good athletes that provided a boost to other sports. But after my Tokyo Olympics gold, there was an immense boost in Javelin. I'm happy we have really good throwers now. I think we have around 20 80m throwers, so itâs really good for India,â Chopra concluded.