Tokyo: Indian javelin thrower Sachin Yadav has announced himself on the global stage at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, finishing fourth with a career-best throw of 86.27 meters, surpassing both defending champion Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem. 

Yadav narrowly misses out on a medal, finishing fourth with an 80.95m throw after six attempts.

Yadav’s opening throw of 86.27m not only marked his personal best but also placed him ahead of Chopra (83.65m) and Nadeem (82.73m) in the first round. His exceptional performance secured him a spot in the final alongside Chopra, making him one of the only two Indians to reach this stage at the championship.

In the qualification round, Yadav had already impressed with an 83.67-meter throw, confirming his entry into the final scheduled for September 18, 2025, at 4:30 PM IST.

Who is Sachin Yadav?

The 25-year-old hails from Uttar Pradesh and stands 6 feet 5 inches tall. Initially aspiring to be a cricketer, inspired by MS Dhoni and Jasprit Bumrah, Yadav switched to athletics after a family member recognised his natural talent for javelin.

Yadav’s meteoric rise began in 2024, winning gold at the 63rd National Open Athletics Championships in Bengaluru with an 80.04m throw. In 2025, he continued his dominance with gold medals at the Federation Cup in Kochi (83.86m) and the National Games in Dehradun (84.39m), establishing himself as a promising successor to India’s javelin legend, Neeraj Chopra.

Defending champion Neeraj Chopra qualified for the final with an opening throw of 84.85m but faced a disappointing night. He crashed out of the World Championships' men's javelin throw final after the fifth round with a best effort of 84.03m that left him eighth overall.

He was eighth after the fourth throw and fouled the fifth one to exit the competition.

Only the top six athletes will compete in the sixth and final round. Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan also made an exit in the fourth round.