National Games: Resilient Sachin Yadav Wins Javelin Gold Despite Early Setback

Javelin thrower Sachin Yadav’s start at the National Games wasn’t ideal. During the men’s final, he slipped on his first attempt, recording a throw of just 65.96 meters, which raised concerns about a potential injury. However, his day soon took a turn for the better. With a personal best, a gold medal, and a National Games record to his name, the 25-year-old, who has steadily improved over the past year, triumphed. On Wednesday, he outperformed seasoned throwers like silver medalist Rohit Yadav and former Asian Championships silver medalist Shivpal Singh, who didn’t make the podium. Rohit’s best was 80.47 meters, while third-place finisher Vikash Sharma posted 79.33 meters.

Once he found his rhythm, Sachin was far ahead of the competition.
“My first throw was poor because I slipped, and I worried about the possibility of injury. But my second throw felt great, and that boosted my confidence. I knew that once I found my rhythm, I’d hit my personal best. This is my biggest medal, and I’m thrilled to win gold in my first competition of the year,” Sachin shared.

After the initial setback, Sachin made five legal throws, including two surpassing 80 meters, with his fifth throw reaching 84.39 meters.

Hailing from Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, Sachin made his mark in 2024 with a throw of 82.69 meters at the Indian Grand Prix, followed by an 84.21-meter throw at the All India Police Games.

Sachin began his sporting journey in 2019 as a cricketer, a fast bowler and opening batsman, until a relative, Sandeep Yadav, convinced him to switch to javelin. Inspired by Neeraj Chopra’s Tokyo Olympics gold, Sachin committed to javelin as his second-choice sport.
“Neeraj bhai is my idol, and his 86.48-meter throw at the 2016 U20 World Championships still inspires me,” said Sachin.

After training in Baghpat, Sachin moved to New Delhi to work with Dronacharya awardee and renowned coach Naval Singh, who also trains double Paralympic champion Sumit Antil.

Looking ahead, Sachin shared his goals for the year: “My aim today was to hit my personal best, and I didn’t focus on a specific distance. With the PB achieved, my confidence for the season will grow. I’m concentrating on building power and staying injury-free throughout the season.”

During the off-season, Sachin and his coach focused on enhancing strength and power. “I’ve been training with Naval sir for the past six months, and he understands my body well. If any exercise even slightly affects me, he asks me to stop. Our plan is to stay injury-free, as rehab and recovery take up a lot of time,” he explained.

Though Sachin was invited to join the training camp at NIS Patiala, where new coach Sergey Makarov is based, he chose to stay in Delhi. “I received the offer to join the Patiala camp, but my coach and I decided to continue training in Delhi. I’m getting great results with him, so it doesn’t make sense to switch,” said Sachin. “I’m consistently hitting 82-83 meters in training, so sticking to this rhythm feels best for me.”

Makarov, a former world champion and double Olympic medalist, attended the National Games final and expressed optimism about Sachin’s potential. “I believe he can go beyond 86 meters. He looks really good to me,” Makarov remarked. “The headwind was a bit strong today, which is why he threw 84 meters, but I see huge potential in him.”