---
title: "Neeraj Chopra qualifies for javelin final at Commonwealth Games 2026, Glasgow; ahead of defending champion Arshad Nadeem"
sdDatePublished: "2026-07-30T13:48:00Z"
source: "https://www.olympics.com/en/news/commonwealth-games-2026-javelin-throw-qualifier-report-neeraj-chopra"
topics:
  - name: "athletics"
    identifier: "medtop:20000827"
  - name: "international games"
    identifier: "medtop:20001114"
  - name: "sport"
    identifier: "medtop:15000000"
locations:
  - "Sri Lanka"
  - "Trinidad and Tobago"
  - "Queensland"
  - "South Africa"
  - "Glasgow"
  - "India"
  - "Pakistan"
  - "Kenya"
  - "Birmingham"
---


Neeraj Chopra qualifies for javelin final at Commonwealth Games 2026, Glasgow; ahead of defending champion Arshad Nadeem

Commonwealth Games 2026: Neeraj Chopra qualifies for javelin throw final ahead of Arshad Nadeem

Commonwealth Games 2026: Neeraj Chopra qualifies for javelin throw final ahead of Arshad Nadeem

Neeraj finished fifth to make the 12-man final while Nadeem was seventh. Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh also made the cut. No one breached the automatic qualifying mark.

Neeraj Chopra qualified for the men’s javelin throw final at the Commonwealth Games 2026 with a best effort of 79.61m under difficult conditions at the Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow, on Thursday.

As per the javelin throw competition format at Glasgow 2026 , athletes who throw 84.00m or farther in the qualification round automatically advance to the final.

If fewer than 12 competitors achieve the qualifying mark, the remaining places in the final are filled by the next-best performers until a 12-athlete field for the final is complete.

The Indian athlete logged 76.28m with his first effort before improving it to 79.61m in his second. Neeraj, who owns the national record of 90.23m, didn’t take his third attempt as he had already sealed his place in the finals by securing fifth position.

Neeraj is a former CWG champion, having won gold at Gold Coast 2018 but didn’t defend his Commonwealth Games crown in Birmingham due to injury.

None of the 18 javelin throwers on show on the day managed to breach the automatic qualifying mark with Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage leading the field with 82.84m.

Former world champion Anderson Peters (81.29m), South African thrower Douw Smit (80.64m) and England’s Ben East (80.38m) were the only others to cross the 80m mark in the qualifiers as all contestants struggled under challenging conditions.

Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem , the reigning champion having won gold at Birmingham 2022 with a Games record throw, produced his season’s best effort of 78.63m to finish seventh and ensured his spot in the 12-man final.

India’s Rohit Yadav, ninth with 78.37m, and Yash Vir Singh, 10th with 78.36m, also qualified for the final while reigning world champion Keshorn Walcott (78.26m) of Trinidad and Tobago just about made the cut at 11th position.

Kenya’s Julius Yego, an Olympic medallist and former world and Commonwealth champion, missed out after finishing 13th with a best effort of 74.50m. Pakistan’s Muhammad Yasir was 14th despite a season’s best of 74.36m.

The CWG 2026 men’s javelin final will be contested at 12:45 AM on Saturday as per Indian Standard Time.

Commonwealth Games 2026 javelin throw qualifying results

Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (SRI) - 82.84m (Q)

Anderson Peters (GRN) - 81.29m (Q)

Douw Smit (RSA) - 80.64m (Q)

Ben East (ENG) - 80.38m (Q)

Neeraj Chopra (IND) - 79.61m (Q)

Cameron McEntyre (AUS) - 78.91m (Q)

Arshad Nadeem (PAK) - 78.63m (Q)

Keyshawn Strachan (BAH) - 78.60m (Q)

Rohit Yadav (IND) - 78.37m (Q)

Yash Vir Singh (IND) - 78.36m (Q)

Keshorn Walcott (TTO) - 78.26m (Q)

Chinecherem Nnamdi (NGR) - 75.27m (Q)

Julius Yego (KEN) - 74.50m

Muhammad Yasir (PAK) - 74.36m

Lakona Gerega (PNG) - 65.59m

Elvis Graham (JAM) - 65.07m

Usufono Eneli (TUV) - 39.28m

Sumedha Ranasinghe (SRI) - No mark

*Q - Qualified for final

Picture by 2026 Getty Images

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