CWG: For Neeraj Chopra & Co., wind made life difficult in qualifying

India’s greatest athlete would elaborate on conditions, “Conditions were not best for javelin throwers. Not only cold but windy. And wind also not from front. It’s very hard to process. But sometimes I thought I’ll throw there but wind would come from other side. Loads of throwers struggling. Nobody threw automatic qualification,” he said.

Chopra sounded upbeat saying, “Happy all three Indians are in final.”

From left, India’s Yash Vir Singh, Rohit Yadav and Neeraj Chopra pose for photgraphs at the Commonwealth Games 2026, in Glasgow, Scotland, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (PTI Photo)

Biggest threat

On his biggest threat Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage of Sri Lanka, Chopra said, “He’s a good boy. He’s a friend of mine. This year he really threw well. It’s good he’s doing something great for Sri Lanka.”

The last three CWG champions have gone on to win a gold or silver at the next Olympics.

Pathirage led the 18-man field with a strong first throw of 82.84m, as the windy conditions were completely treacherous for the throwers, with crosswinds rummaging the spear flights on Thursday morning. A 13 kph west-blowing gust ensured the basic Qualification mark of 84 metres wasn’t cleared even once by a group that boasted the last two Olympic champions and assorted other World winners.

Yego exits

It meant the likes of former world champion Julius Yego and the second best from Pakistan and Sri Lanka — Muhammad Yasir and Sumedha Ranasinghe didn’t make the cut. 2025 world champion Keshorn Walcott, a former Olympic champion from Trinidad Tobago, snuck in by a thread in 12th place, with 78.26m — as 6 of the last 12 were bunched between that and 78.91.

Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan first throw of 78.63m ended up being the best. He remains a contender alongside Anderson Peters who tweaked his run-up to hurl from the edge of the kerb for 81.29 on his second.

Qualification distances don’t matter beyond sealing a spot in the finals. But they give the competitors an accurate idea of what conditions could be like. The finals though happen in evenings, and winds can easily blow the other way in those parts at Scotstoun. A 14 degree crisp morning, however, ensured warmups in cold, biting Glasgow.

South African Douw Smit (80.64) qualified a surprising third, and Englishman Ben East brought in a late third throw of 80.38, to become one of only 4 to cross 80 metres.

Strong statement by the javelin boys! 💪

Neeraj Chopra (79.61m), Rohit Yadav (78.37m) and Yash Vir Singh (78.36m) qualify for the Men’s Javelin Throw Final at #Glasgow2026! 👏

Watch them in the final on 1st August, 12:45 AM onwards, LIVE & EXCLUSIVE on Sony Sports Network TV… pic.twitter.com/nxDDlDSbyE

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) July 30, 2026

Smit who had finished runners up to Chopra at the Ostrava Golden Spike in 2025, has a season best of 84.57 from a Poland win at Irena Szewinska Memorial this May. The 27-year-old Saffer was a prodigy brought down by a 5-year-long back injury layoff he returned from in 2021. “I thought I would never throw again. But coach said let’s check. I was done with studies. But I threw 81 so went ahead,” he had told Modern Athlete Mag in 2023.

East had thrown above 80 only twice before this.

Walcott has been struggling with a side slip at release whole of this year, but can never be ruled out. He has a 82.52 at Rabat and 83.45 at Rome. “No clean hits, but the feeling is there,” he had posted back in June. The reigning World Champion, who won the 2012 Olympics with two fractures in his back (L1 and L3) and has framed his back-brace, edged in last moment thanks to Keyshawn Strachan bringing out a 78.60, remains a contender.

The 6-ft-5 Strachan from Bahamas has never crossed 80. But he boasts of breaking Peter’s World U20 record.

But the biggest threat remains Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, the season sensation from Kalutara, south of Colombo. His Rome Diamond League mark of 92.62 looms large on the field, but clearly the challenge will be the conditions in Glasgow.

2026 is led by the Lankan, followed by American Curtis Thompson and then Rohit Yadav (87.05), who showed good adaptability to go from 77.04 to 78.37, but 80 was Glasgow’s 90 on a challenging Q day.