Athletics
National Games 2025: Sachin Yadav breaks meet record to clinch javelin throw gold
Sachin's giant 84.39m throw in his fifth attempt helped him break Rajender Singh’s Games record of 82.23m, set in 2015 in Kerala.
Javelin thrower Sachin Yadav asserted his class in his season-opening competition at the 38th National Games by breaking a decade-old meet record by clinching the gold medal at the Ganga Athletic Stadium in Dehradun on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old athlete from Uttar Pradesh showcased his fiery form with a massive 84.39m throw in his fifth attempt. This effort not only shattered his personal best (82.69m) but also surpassed Haryana’s Rajender Singh’s Games record of 82.23m, set in 2015 in Kerala.
Sachin outperformed a strong field, which included notable competitors like Rohit Yadav and Shivpal Singh, to claim the yellow metal.
Rohit, who has a personal best of 83.40m, finished a distant second with his best effort of 80.47m, completing a gold and silver double for Uttar Pradesh. Uttarakhand’s Vikash Sharma bagged the bronze medal with a throw of 79.33m, while Shivpal Singh recorded a below-par 76.56m to finish fourth.
This gold medal-winning throw demonstrated Sachin’s steady progress since 2023. Last season, he achieved his season's best and personal best of 82.69m at the 62nd National Open Athletics Championships in October. It was his second 80m-plus throw, having first crossed the mark with an 80.27m effort at the 26th Federation Cup in Ranchi in 2023.
With his National Games throw, Sachin now holds the fourth-highest mark in men’s javelin throw by an Indian. He stands behind Olympic gold and silver medallist Neeraj Chopra (89.94m), Shivpal Singh (86.23m), and Davinder Singh (84.57m).
Meanwhile, Puja of Haryana defended her high jump gold medal with a leap of 1.84m, breaking Swapna Barman's National Games record of 1.83m, set in 2022 in Ahmedabad.
