How Yashvir Singh’s self-talk inspired a historic javelin bronze at CWG

Yashvir Singh (Image credit: X)

NEW DELHI: Yashvir Singh had one thought in his mind before stepping up for his final throw at Scotstoun Stadium. The bronze medal mark was just beyond 82 metres, and he reminded himself that he had already crossed that distance before.With that belief, the 24-year-old gave everything on his sixth and final attempt. His javelin landed at 85.41m, setting a new personal best, earning him a historic bronze medal and helping India complete a memorable double on the podium alongside Neeraj Chopra at the Commonwealth Games 2026. The Commonwealth Games debutant improved his previous personal best of 83.72m when it mattered the most.“This is my first international medal, and I am overjoyed. Everyone supported me, my family, my parents, everyone… I am truly happy about this… things were going a bit sluggishly at the start. At one point, my throw was around 81.3 meters. I saw that the bronze medal mark was sitting at 82 meters. I told myself, ‘I’ve already thrown 82 meters–my personal best–in this competition, so I can definitely go beyond that.‘ Things weren’t going well up to the fifth throw, so for the final attempt, I decided to just go for it and see what happens. That last throw turned out really well,” Yashvir said after winning the medal.Competing in only his second event of the season, Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra registered a season-best throw of 85.83m in his second attempt to win the silver medal despite the cold and windy conditions.

Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage claimed the gold with a brilliant throw of 89.75m.Neeraj later said sharing the podium with Yashvir made the achievement even more special.“It brings back memories of the Asian Games, where Saurav and I both won medals. I’m really happy that Yashvir achieved a personal best at such a crucial moment. It feels great to be on the podium together. It’s always a joy to hear the national anthem play. That said, I also achieved a season-best, and my comeback is progressing well. There are more competitions ahead, so I’m very happy,” Chopra told reporters.