NEW DELHI: India enjoyed a strong day in the athletics arena in the 2026 Commonwealth Games as Praveen Chithravel and Selva Prabhu qualified for the men’s triple jump final, while Neeraj Chopra, Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh ensured a clean sweep in the men’s javelin qualification.National record holder Praveen Chithravel produced a composed performance to finish second in the triple jump qualification standings with an effort of 16.41m in his opening attempt.With cold and windy conditions making the competition difficult and none of the 14 athletes managing to reach the automatic qualification mark of 16.60m, Praveen decided not to take his remaining two attempts after securing his place in the final.The Indian national record is 17.37m, while his season best is 17.08m.His compatriot Selva Prabhu had a more dramatic route to qualification. After his first two attempts, the Indian produced a final pressure jump of 16.26m to climb to third position and secure his place in the medal.The top 12 athletes advance to the final, which will be held on Saturday.Jamaica’s Jordan Scott, who has a season’s best of 17.69m, topped the qualifying leaderboard with a second-round effort of 16.56m.Meanwhile, India’s national record holder Vishal TK missed out on the men’s 400m final after finishing sixth in his semi-final with a timing of 46.33 seconds. The qualifying format allowed the top two athletes of each heat and the next two fastest runners overall to progress.Vishal had earlier recorded a national record of 44.98 seconds at the Federation Cup in May.
L-R: India’s Yash Vir Singh, Rohit Yadav and Neeraj Chopra (PTI Photo)
All three Indian javelin throwers qualify as Neeraj Chopra leads the charge
India also enjoyed a perfect outing in the men’s javelin qualification, with all three competitors advancing to the final.Two-time Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra, returning to the Commonwealth Games after missing Birmingham 2022 due to injury, led the Indian challenge with a measured performance.Competing in cool conditions at Scotstoun Stadium, Chopra opened with 76.28m before improving to 79.61m with his second attempt, finishing fifth in qualifying. After securing his place in the final, the 2018 Commonwealth Games champion chose not to take his third throw.None of the competitors breached the automatic qualifying mark of 84m due to the difficult conditions, with the top 12 advancing based on their ranking. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage tops the rankings with 82.84m.India’s Rohit Yadav also made the cut comfortably, finishing ninth after registering 78.37m in his second attempt. He chose not to take his last shot after confirming the qualification.Yash Vir Singh completed India’s clean sweep, steadily improving through the qualifying round before producing 78.36m with his final attempt to finish 10th.With all three Indians through, the focus now shifts to the final as Chopra aims to reclaim her Commonwealth Games title, while Rohit and Yash Vir look to challenge for the podium.
