Indian javelin thrower Rohit Yadav candidly admitted that his ‘overconfidence’ and ambition to surpass both Sri Lankan gold medallist Rumesh Pathirage and Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra during the Commonwealth Games final ultimately cost him a medal, offering valuable insights into competitive pressure and strategic errors.
IMAGE: Rohit Yadav admits overconfidence cost him a medal. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters
Key Points
- Rohit Yadav finished seventh in the Commonwealth Games men’s javelin final with a throw of 81.56m, admitting he made a mistake by chasing Rumesh Pathirage’s big throw and trying to outperform Neeraj Chopra.
- Yadav’s ‘overconfident’ mindset after his second throw of 81.56m led him to go ‘all out’ in subsequent attempts, resulting in fouls and lower distances.
- Challenging conditions, including strong headwinds and a deteriorating runway, also impacted his performance, despite advice from Neeraj Chopra to adjust his technique.
- Despite missing a medal, Yadav views the Commonwealth Games as a valuable learning experience, emphasising the need to prepare for all conditions ahead of the upcoming Asian Games in Japan.
- Yadav’s season-best throw of 87.05m at the National Inter-State in June remains the farthest by an Indian this season, highlighting his potential.
Indian javelin thrower Rohit Yadav on Monday admitted that chasing Sri Lankan gold winner Rumesh Pathirage’s big throw during the Commonwealth Games final and trying to even outperform Neeraj Chopra was a mistake, and said he should have curbed his “overconfidence”.
The 27-year-old Yadav finished seventh in the men’s javelin final on July 31 with a throw of 81.56m. Pathirage won the gold with 89.75m, while India’s Neeraj Chopra (85.83m) and Yashvir Singh (85.41m) taking the silver and bronze respectively.
Reflecting on the CWG Final
Yadav said he felt he was well in contention for a medal after producing a second round throw of 81.56m before deciding to attack with his remaining four attempts. “My second throw was around 81m (81.56m) and I felt I would at least make the best eight. After that I decided to go all out,” Rohit told PTI after returning here from Glasgow on Monday.
“It wasn’t that I thought I couldn’t match Rumesh after he threw 89.75m. My mindset was that I wanted to achieve what even Neeraj couldn’t do that day. That thinking made me a little overconfident,” he said, before quietly walking out of the airport here after being received by a handful of Athletics Federation of India (AFI) officials.
Challenges and Lessons Learned
Yadav could not do better in his remaining throws. His third and firth attempts were fouls while he registered 73.70m and 79.55m in his fourth and sixth throws. He said strong headwinds and a deteriorating runway made conditions challenging, forcing athletes to constantly adjust their technique.
“The wind was very strong. Neeraj kept telling us to release the javelin a little lower because of the conditions, but at times I ended up pushing it down too much. The runway had also deteriorated, so several things were not really in our favour,” he said.
Despite missing out on a medal, Yadav said the competition offered valuable lessons ahead of next month’s Asian Games in Japan. “The biggest lesson is that we have to prepare ourselves and be ready for every kind of conditions. There shouldn’t be a situation where our body doesn’t respond because of rain, wind or anything else. We should be able to perform well in all conditions,” said Yadav whose 87.05m throw during the National Inter-State in June remains the farthest distance by an India so far this season.
“My focus is on making those adjustments before the Asian Games, where I hope to convert the lessons from the Commonwealth Games into a stronger performance.”
