Sachin Yadav’s fourth-place finish in the men’s javelin final of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo was a saving grace for the group of 19 athletes representing the country. Sachin impressed with his consistency in a high-quality field and held his nerve to register a personal best of 86.27 metres. Two of his four throws were over 85, one of them 85.86 metres. He missed a bronze medal by 40 centimetres but will return with his head held high.
A local cricket league fast bowler till the age of 19, Sachin’s fast arm speed caught the attention of a javelin coach, Sandeep Yadav. From surpassing the 80-metre mark two years ago, a benchmark for Indian athletes to be considered good in the post Neeraj Chopra-era, to improving his personal best three times this year — 84.39m, 85.16m and 86.27m in Tokyo — Sachin is a star on the rise.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) are convinced they have found a rare gem who can win medals for the country for the next decade. The 25-year-old is considered to have the potential to throw over 90 metres.
India’s Sachin Yadav competes in the men’s javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Getting a ringside view of the javelin final as coach of gold-medal winner Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago, was biomechanics expert Dr Klaus Bartonietz. The 76-year-old German, widely regarded as one of the best in refining technique, was Neeraj Chopra’s coach when he won two Olympic and two World Championship medals.
Sachin, Bartonietz says, is doing a few things right which helped him make a mark in the final and cross the 86-metre mark for the first time. The trajectory of the javelin was one. “Because his throwing movement into the release was ok technically, the flight phase was effective. So he had a flat landing (as opposed to javelin’s sudden dip from a height) maximizing distance by making use of aerodynamics. This means his release angles were ok,” Bartonietz told The Indian Express on Friday.
He also noticed another positive point in Sachin’s technique. “He has a stable left leg (blocking leg) and shoulder as well. We call it a ‘stable left side’ — from leg to shoulder. He also has a long follow-through with a semi-headfirst plunge. A good active impulse stride — the second last stride — results in him having a fast front leg plant. He also does not have a full flat fall. Overall he has a pretty sound technique,” Bartonietz said.
The German was impressed that Sachin saved his best for the big stage. “He and his coach peaked well for this main competition.”
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Sachin’s height, at six feet and five inches tall, has seen him being compared to behemoth Arshad Nadeem from Pakistan, the reigning Olympic champion. Bartonietz said, “All factors equal, of course size matters.”
Being a fast bowler has no bearing on his javelin technique, Klaus added. “Cricket bowling did not affect his javelin technique.”
India’s Sachin Yadav competes in the men’s javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Talking to this paper last year, when he first crossed 82 metres at the Indian Grand Prix in Bangalore, Sachin said that his shoulder was strong because he was a fast bowler but beyond that there was no advantage he carried forward to javelin from cricket. “A fast bowler who shifts to cricket has an advantage because of strength in the shoulder and wrist. But javelin technique is different. People generally think a fast bowler can easily shift to javelin but that is not really true,” Sachin had said.
The AFI is keen that Sachin polishes his technique and hopes to convince him to train with India’s foreign coach Sergey Makarov, a multiple Olympics and World Championship medalist. Sachin’s current coach is Naval Singh, a Dronacharya award winner.
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“Sachin can throw over 90 metres. He is still raw, but the AFI sees great potential in him. Neeraj has inspired more and more Indians to take up javelin. Seeing Sachin do so well, more will follow. Both Neeraj and Sachin can win medals at major events for the next 10 years,” AFI’s planning committee chief Lalit Bhanot said.
