The men’s javelin throw final at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, is scheduled to take place on Monday, September 28.
All eyes will be on Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage, who’s been in fine form after notching up 90m+ best efforts in three events this year so far. India’s Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh will also be in action.
However, the defending champion Neeraj Chopra will be a big name missing from the entry list after the two-time Olympic medallist had pulled out of the Diamond League Finals and the Asiad.
In the lead-up to the Diamond League Finals in Brussels, Neeraj — who had won Asian Games gold in 2018 and 2022 — cited an ankle injury as reason for his season ending prematurely.
“After a period of hard work, I finally felt I was gaining momentum I had been looking for with a Season’s Best throw in Lausanne. Unfortunately, shortly after, I sustained a ligament tear in my ankle during training. After discussions with my doctor and team, we’ve decided that I will sit out the rest of this season,” Neeraj had posted on social media.
After this development, Yash Vir was announced as Neeraj’s replacement by the Athletics Federation of India.
Published on Sep 28, 2026
