Commonwealth Games 2026: All you need to know about Rohit Yadav

Indian javelin throw has never had more depth, and Rohit Yadav's résumé is proof of it.

The 25-year-old from Uttar Pradesh heads into the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on the back of the best throw of his career, having reignited a career that was once threatened by a serious elbow injury.

With a season-best of 87.05m that briefly put him at No. 2 on the global list this year, Rohit arrives in Glasgow as one of India's most dangerous javelin throwers outside of Neeraj Chopra, and a genuine medal contender in a stacked field.

Early days

Rohit Yadav was born on June 6, 2001, in Dabhiya village near Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, into a family with little money but a deep sporting background.

His father, Sabhajeet Yadav, a farmer and former decathlete, was determined that his sons take up javelin throw, but the family could not afford a proper javelin. So Sabhajeet began cutting javelins out of wild bamboo found near the village and used them to train Rohit and his younger brother Rahul, who also went on to become an athlete. A third brother, Rohan, rounds out a family steeped in track and field.

Rohit's competitive journey began in 2014, when he won gold at his first district-level javelin competition with a throw of 49m. 

Rising through the ranks

Rohit steadily built his profile through the junior and domestic circuit, competing at the National Junior Athletics Championships and a string of Indian Grand Prix and Federation Cup meets through 2021 and 2022.

He also joined the Indian Railways, giving him the institutional support many Indian athletes rely on to train full-time.

His national title came in June 2021, when he won gold at the National Championships in Patiala with a throw of 77.74m. The 2022 season proved to be the breakout year: a gold at the Federation Cup in Thenhipalam with 81.83m in April was followed by a personal-best 82.54m at the National Inter-State Championships in Chennai that June.

That form carried him to Eugene, Oregon, where on July 22, 2022, Rohit qualified for the final of the World Athletics Championships with a throw of 80.42m. He eventually finished eighth.

Weeks later, Rohit was picked for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham alongside DP Manu, with Chopra ruled out through injury. Rohit threw 82.22m to finish sixth, with Manu taking fifth.

Overcoming setbacks

Just as his career was gathering momentum, Rohit ran into a serious setback. In May 2023, he pushed his personal best out to 83.4m at the National Inter-State Championships and looked set for a big season, only to suffer a ligament tear in his right elbow.

The injury forced him out of both the 2023 World Athletics Championships and the Asian Games in Hangzhou, despite having already qualified for the former. He underwent surgery and was sidelined for an extended period, a cruel blow for an athlete who had just cracked the 83m mark.

The road back was long, but Rohit worked his way back into full training and international contention over the following two seasons, gradually rebuilding the distances that had once put him among India's best.

Record-breaking season

That patience paid off in dramatic fashion in June 2026. At the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, Rohit produced a monster throw of 87.05m in his final attempt to win gold.

It helped him rank second on the global list for the year, behind only Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (92.62m) and ahead of Neeraj Chopra, who was fourth globally with 85.69m that season.

Rohit himself called the performance a major confidence boost ahead of the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games in Japan. The throw also comfortably erased the previous meet record of 84.35m, set by DP Manu back in 2022, and confirmed Rohit's qualification for both Glasgow and the Asian Games.