Glasgow, August 1: On the ninth day of the Commonwealth Games 2026, India celebrated two medal wins in javelin throw. Neeraj Chopra secured a silver medal with his season-best performance, while Yashveer Singh clinched the bronze. Neeraj acknowledged the lingering fear of returning from injury, expressing that he could have performed even better.
In a conversation with reporters, Neeraj shared, “I am very happy that Yashveer also succeeded in winning a medal. This happened before at the Asian Games, where Kishore and I both won medals. It feels great to be on the podium together. We always strive for our national anthem to play, but I am satisfied with my season-best performance. My recovery is progressing well, and I will aim to improve in the upcoming competitions.”
Neeraj praised the gold medalist, Sri Lanka’s Ramesh Tharanga, who threw an impressive 89.75 meters. He remarked, “Tharanga’s throw was undoubtedly excellent. I felt I could have done better, but I struggled to maintain my line. I am gradually trying to regain my rhythm.” In a light-hearted moment, he added, “I don’t perform as well in the cold; I prefer the heat because, after all, I have Indian blood!”
Discussing his fitness, Neeraj stated, “I can’t say my fitness is back to where it was. I am slowly working towards regaining it. My first competition after the injury was in Doha, where we were not in the best shape. However, I felt better here. I am focused on achieving my rhythm for the upcoming events. There will definitely be more improvement. I can’t say there has been significant progress in my season-best performance, but I will strive to do better in future events.”
The Indian star athlete further commented, “When you are 100% fit, the fighting spirit is different, and you feel you can achieve anything. However, when returning from injury, you have to be cautious. Today was a mixed feeling; sometimes I felt like I could sprint fully, and other times I had to hold back. Nevertheless, my throw was decent.”
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