Is India witnessing the rise of another javelin star after Neeraj Chopra in Sachin Yadav?

India has found a new sensation in the javelin throw. Uttar Pradesh’s javelin thrower Sachin Yadav is making waves in domestic events. Recently, Sachin Yadav won the gold medal in the javelin throw event at the National Games in Dehradun. His throw was not something one could attribute to a beginner; it was a massive throw of 84.39 m, marking his personal best and setting a new record for all editions of the National Games. India may see a new Neeraj Chopra in this 25-year-old athlete.

Sachin Yadav’s progression over the years

Sachin Yadav, who works with the Uttar Pradesh police, has seen a remarkable rise over the years. He achieved his personal best by surpassing his earlier record of 82.69m in Bengaluru last year. If we look at his progression from 2020, he recorded a 67m throw that year, then improved to 74.26m in 2022, and later reached 82.69m in 2024 in Bengaluru. Now, in 2025, he has achieved 84.39m. If he continues practising and receiving the best coaching, he could reach 88m in a few years.

Just behind Neeraj currently

Sachin Yadav might not have played in the Olympics yet, but he’s currently better than most Indian Olympians in javelin throw; only Neeraj Chopra surpasses him. In the National Games competition, Shivpal Singh was also among the participants, but he only managed 76.76m. Another Asian Games medalist from India, Kishor Jena, had his best throw of 87.54m but is now struggling with injuries and finding it hard to reach 84m.

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New training to reach new heights

His breakthrough year was 2024 when he began training under Naval Singh, a coach based in New Delhi. Naval Singh has mentored several Arjuna awardees, including Paralympic champion Sumit Antil, Navdeep Singh, and Shivpal Singh. He also coached Sandeep Yadav, who was Sachin’s first mentor. This new training regimen could help Sachin improve further as an athlete and achieve greater heights. It’s the right time for him to focus entirely on this sport.

What’s Next for Sachin Yadav?

While Sachin Yadav has not yet qualified for the World Athletics Championships 2025, where the qualifying mark is set at 85.50m, he will be participating in upcoming tournaments to try to improve his throw.