Meet 6’ 5” gold-medallist Sachin Yadav - the next big thing in Indian javelin

Even though he was competing with an Olympian (Shivpal Singh) and a World Championships finalist (Rohit Yadav) and even before he made his first legal throw of the competition at the National Games in Dehradun, all eyes were on Sachin Yadav.

If one has been following track and field in India, it is common knowledge that apart from a certain Neeraj Chopra, no one had thrown further in India last year than Sachin had - with a mark of 82.69m at the Indian GP. He had a better throw of 84.21m at the Police Championships in Delhi last November – but that competition wasn’t included in official records. And if one were in attendance at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, they would know that he threw his javelin tantalisingly close to the 90 metre mark in an attempt that was unfortunately marred by the faintest of a step-out foul.

But even if one were oblivious to these facts, it would have been difficult to turn a blind eye to the powerfully built 6-foot 5-inch 107kg man from Uttar Pradesh once the competition started at the Dehradun ground on Wednesday evening.

Sachin Yadav (centre) poses after winning the gold medal. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

That was because in a warm-up throw that he’d made with 12 casual strides – reminiscent of another javelin thrower of his frame from this part of the world - the 25-year-old had sent his javelin well over the white chalk arc that marked 85 meters.

Now to do it for real.

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On his first attempt of the javelin throw competition at the National Games, Sachin Yadav slipped on the runway, giving himself an injury scare and his coach a near heart-attack.

When he saw Sachin crashing onto the floor, the fact that his throw had flown a measly 65.96 m didn’t matter to Naval Singh. “ Mujhe laga ki lag gayi (I thought he’s had it),” he remembers thinking.

Luckily there was no injury. “The track was brand new and there were some grains of the synthetic material still on it. That made it very slippery. I went all out on that first throw and I slipped and fell. When you have an experience like that, you feel a little scared to push yourself,” Sachin would say later.

Even operating a little cautiously, Sachin is much too good for the field. On his fifth throw of the competition, he sent his spear flying to 84.39m. It’s a new personal best and Games record. There’s only one other thrower apart from Neeraj who’s thrown any further in India. Impressive by any margin.

Russia’s Olympic bronze medallist Sergei Makarov, certainly thought so. “I think he had a little headwind. Otherwise, it looked like he was going to throw between 86-88 metres today itself,” says Makarov who has recently been appointed as India’s javelin coach.

In recent years, India’s been blessed with a glut of talent in the javelin throw. In 2024 alone, six throwers apart from Neeraj had made a throw of over 80m. Of all of them though – Sachin is marked out as having the potential to be India’s next big thing.

While the spike in Indian javelin stocks has been credited to Neeraj and his performance in the 2020 Olympic cycle capped by a gold in Tokyo, Sachin’s entry to the sport had little to do with him.

“He’s my favourite javelin thrower now but I didn’t even know who Neeraj bhai was when I started javelin throw. A lot of javelin throwers in India started because of Neeraj bhai but I came my own way” he told Sportstar.

Cricket to javelin

The village of Khekra near the town of Baghpat in western Uttar Pradesh, is a typical farming village in that part of the country. “My father is a farmer, sir. We grow wheat and fodder on our farm. I didn’t know anyone who played sport seriously here,” he says. Sachin played cricket, for fun. “It was just time pass. I used to be an all-rounder. I love (Jasprit) Bumrah now but back then (MS) Dhoni was my favourite. So, I always loved to bat,” he says.

It was during a friendly game that Sachin caught the eye of a neighbour Sandeep Yadav who had thrown the javelin although not with much success. “I was bowling when he saw me. It was just one of those 10-over matches that people play for fun. But Sandeep bhai said my shoulder speed was good and I was bowling fast so he thought I might be good in javelin as well. He told me I should play a sport. He said I had a good height, was well built and therefore, was perfectly suited for javelin,” he says.

Uttar Pradesh’s Sachin Yadav in action. | Photo Credit: The Hindu/RITU RAJ KONWAR

Sachin was 19 when Sandeep took him under his wing. Even though that was a relatively late entry into athletics, Sachin says he didn’t take the sport seriously. “It was only later that I thought I needed to do something with my life. I got serious because I knew that I’m not from a very strong (financial) background. My parents are farmers. So, if I wanted to do something for them, I had to make something of myself,” he says.

Sachin credits Sandeep with helping him in those early days. “I started throwing a bamboo javelin that Sandeep bhai bought for me. He bought me my first real javelin too. He taught me the basics. He used to be my first coach in a way. During the lockdown, I’d throw in our khet (fields),” he says.

With rudimentary training and nothing by way of facilities, injuries were common. His results weren’t much to speak of.

“I would try to compete in the state and district level in 2021 and 2022 but I never participated at a national level competition because I would always end up getting injured. I’ve injured my groin, my ankle and every part of the body you can think of. I used to play through the injury. I used to feel bad if I didn’t perform well. So, I would try to continue with it,” he says.

Repeat injuries

In 2021, he fractured his throwing elbow twice in quick succession. “My technique was not good and my body was a little tight. When I tried to jerk the throw, my elbow got fractured. I had a plaster placed on my arm but within two months I tried to throw once again and it got fractured again,” he says.

Sachin says he came close to quitting the sport. “I felt that perhaps I wasn’t cut out for this. But that was when my family encouraged me. They said that if I was going to quit just now after putting in so much effort, then I would always regret it. They said don’t quit just yet,” he says.

His family’s support wasn’t just verbal. “I was nothing back then. I didn’t have a lot of support. My father would take loans to pay for my treatment. I’d take small loans as well. I must have borrowed something like 80,000 rupees,” he recalls.

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It was only in 2022 that he’d recovered from surgery. He had progressed from the mid-60 metre throws he was making to the low 70s by this point – winning the UP state title with a throw of 72.06m. “That was when I felt I’d achieved something. I kept working on my technique and I started getting better,” he says.

It says something about Sachin’s raw talent that even with the most basic of support, facilities and coaching - he was still trained by his senior Sandeep - he started pushing the 80m mark in 2023 winning bronze at the Federation Cup with a throw of 80.27m. Although that would be the high mark of the season– he finished fifth at the National Championships and fourth at the National Games in Goa – Sachin says 2023 is when he really feels he got started as a serious thrower.

Breakout season

His breakout year came in 2024 when he started training with the New Delhi-based Naval Singh. The latter has trained multiple Arjuna award winners, including Paralympic champion, Sumit Antil and Navdeep Singh as well as Shivpal Singh. He’d also trained Sachin’s first coach Sandeep Yadav.

“Sandeep kept telling me to have a look at Sachin. I kept delaying the matter for a year because I was preparing Shivpal for the Olympics at that time, but after he failed to qualify, I finally decided I needed a new project,” he says.

What he saw was someone with immense potential. “My first impression was that he was very big and strong. His technique was not good at all, and that made me more excited. It’s rare to get someone who is so raw. I thought Ispe kaam kiya ja sakta hai (This guy can be worked on),” he says.

What got Naval particularly excited was Sachin’s naturally fast release. “We call it haath ka jhatka (Jerk of the arm). This can be made to some level, but some people have it naturally. Sachin had that. When combined with his size and strength, I was confident I could make him a 90-meter thrower,” he says.

After that first meeting, Naval says he had so much confidence in Sachin’s ability that he called in a favour from a senior official and got him admitted to the sports hostel at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

“I didn’t want him to waste time and money renting a place near the stadium. I have full confidence in him, and I have to give him the best opportunity to make use of his potential. There was no time to waste,” Naval says.

Sachin knows there are many faults to correct. “I have a technical fault that I waste power on the left side. A lot of my throws fall away to one side rather than go in a straight line. I am still trying to control my throw. This is what coach is trying to get me to do as well.

FILE PHOTO - India’s Neeraj Chopra reacts as he competes in the final of the men’s javelin throw event at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. | Photo Credit: PTI

“It’s difficult because it’s hard to get coordination in a body as big as mine. I want to have that perfect movement, but I can’t lose either power, strength or agility. So, we work on my explosive strength. I’m trying to get even stronger. My squat is currently 150kg. I think it should be 220-230kg. Right now, I think I am about 40 per cent of where I need to be. I know that I have to do some hard work, and it will come,” he says.

Even while he’s working on his shortcomings, Sachin’s been reeling off the big throws – 82.69 at the Indian Grand prix last June and 80.04 at the Open Nationals in September.

His throws have even caught the eye of the undisputed king of the Indian javelin mountain. “I didn’t know who Neeraj bhai was when I started the javelin, but as I picked up the sport, I became a fan of him. He has accomplished so much. When I made my throw at the Indian Grand Prix, he messaged me to congratulate me,” he says.

Comparisons with Arshad

The two would later meet in person at the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar where Sachin says Neeraj encouraged him further. “Neeraj bhai told me that my body and throwing technique were similar to (Pakistan’s Olympic champion) Arshad Nadeem. He told me I have a good jerk and that I needed to focus more. When an international Olympic medallist tells you this, you feel almost as if God has told you this,” he says.

Neeraj isn’t the only one who believes there are similarities between the two. Coach Naval sees this as well. But he also wants to keep expectations with the Pakistani thrower (who has a personal best of 92.97m and an Olympic gold) in check. “They are similar but fark hai (there are differences). Arshad is a great thrower. He has great power but also great control. Sachin has a great jerk but he doesn’t have great technique. Right now, there is a difference between him and Arshad,” he says.

FILE PHOTO: Gold medallist Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan celebrates with his medal on the podium. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Naval though, believes Sachin has what it takes to rise to that level. “I’m a very ajeeb (strange) coach. I sometimes start my training at 2 am when no one is watching. Only the kids who have that junoon (passion) come to train at that time. There’s never been a time that Sachin’s complained. No one can match the intensity at which he trains.

Sachin and his coach train this way because both share the same target,“ Naval adds.

The National Games gold might be the biggest medal of his career so far, but both don’t intend for it to remain so. “I want to set the national record. I want to qualify and medal at the 2025 World Championships, and after that, I want to medal in the 2028 Olympics. Abhi celebrate karne ko kya hai ? Parson training firse shuru (What’s there to celebrate yet? Training will resume from day after),” Sachin concludes.

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