Shivam Lohakare wins Javelin gold at Indian Open Throws

Army athlete Shivam Lohakare emerged as the standout performer in the men’s javelin throw at the fifth edition of the Indian Open Throws Competition held at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala.

Lohakare secured the gold medal with a throw of 81.08m, achieved on his opening attempt. Despite failing to register valid marks in his remaining five throws, the distance proved sufficient to top the field on the final day of the competition.

Anand Singh, representing the Services Sports Control Board, claimed the silver medal with a best effort of 76.94m. Asian Games medallist Kishore Kumar Jena finished third with 74.75m, marking his return to competition after taking a break last season due to an ankle injury.

In the men’s discus throw, Kirpal Singh of ONGC secured gold with a throw of 58.89m, followed by Dharamraj Yadav of the Army (55.75m) and Mohammed Saqlain of Karnataka (55.47m).

Among the youth events, Haryana’s Nishchay produced a notable performance in the U18 discus throw with a best mark of 63.90m, narrowly missing the national record of 64.09m set in 2010.

Other winners included Ujjawal Choudhary in the men’s U20 discus throw and Ashish Yadav in the men’s U20 javelin throw. In the women’s categories, Poonam topped the U20 javelin event with a throw of 49.50m, while Tanushri Mahalder won the U18 javelin title with 48.74m.