Anyone looking at Neeraj Chopra‘s best throw of 79.61m in the Commonwealth Games 2026 men’s javelin qualification might have wondered whether the Indian ace was off the pace.
The two-time Olympic medallist, after all, owns a personal best of 90.23m and has spent years clearing 85m almost at will.
Neeraj, however, later clarified that the modest marks had little to do with form and everything to do with the challenging conditions at Glasgow’s Scotstoun Stadium on Thursday.
“The conditions are not best for javelin throwers,” Neeraj Chopra said after qualifying for the final. “Not only cold but also really windy. Just not from the front but also from the side, really hard to process where we have to throw.
“Sometimes you think I’ll throw a specific way but then the wind comes from the other direction.”
The challenging weather affected the entire javelin throw field. None of the 18 competitors managed to breach the automatic qualifying mark of 84.00m, with Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage topping the standings with 82.84m.
“Lots of throwers were struggling today. No one managed to qualify automatically,” Chopra pointed out. “It was tough conditions but happy all three Indians are in the finals.”
Chopra explained that the margin for error was almost nil because of the unpredictable wind.
“Even if the javelin gained just a little extra height, or if you weren’t able to execute the throw perfectly, the wind would carry it off course,” he said. “A lot of athletes put in a huge amount of effort, but the wind kept pushing the javelin in different directions.”
The weather was difficult to read even during the warm-up.
“Today it was both windy and cold, so the conditions were quite challenging for all the athletes,” he said. “During the warm-up throws, we were trying to get a feel for the conditions, but honestly, no one could really figure them out today.”
The Indian, who was the last of the 18 competitors to throw, also had to contend with a lengthy wait before taking to the runway.
“We only got two warm-up throws each, and I was the last to compete. I had to sit and wait for quite a while, and it was tough to keep myself warm because it was so cold and the wind was really strong,” Chopra said.
Instead of chasing a big distance, the 28-year-old focused on doing enough to reach the medal round.
“The goal was to qualify for the final and give my best there. I am happy with the throw,” Chopra said. “We’ll try to put in a bigger effort in the final tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll get better weather so we can all perform at our best.”
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/neeraj-chopra-commonwealth-games-2026-javelin-throw-qualification-reaction
