Was expecting Sachin Yadav to touch 90m in Tokyo: Coach Naval Singh

On Thursday evening in Tokyo, all eyes were fixed on reigning World Champion Neeraj Chopra, but a quiet storm was brewing inside Sachin Yadav.

The young thrower from Bagpat in Uttar Pradesh stood on the runway, staring at the star-studded field.

Competing in just his maiden World Championships, Sachin seemed nervous but didn’t let the grand stage intimidate him; instead, he finished a remarkable fourth with a personal best effort of 86.27m.

He missed the podium by a whisker, but turned the world’s attention towards him, signalling his arrival on the big stage. USA's Curtis Thompson took the bronze with 86.67m.

His coach, Naval Singh, a Dronacharya awardee, expected his ward to perform better and even touch the 90m mark in Tokyo.

“After his first throw, I was expecting him to touch 90m. Sachin usually goes up by 5m after his first throw. After three throws, it started to rain. It was pure bad luck, I would say. Had it not rained, his last two throws would have gone farther. When the competition is tough, he is capable of getting the distance even in fifth and sixth throws,” Naval Singh told The Bridge from Tokyo on Friday.

"At the Asian Championship in Gumi, his first tournament abroad, Sachin lost to Arshad Nadeem in the last throw and by a narrow margin. He repented a lot after that," he added.

In Tokyo, Sachin showed consistency and followed with throws of 85.71m, 84.90m, and 85.96m.

“Sachin had three 85m plus throws. The last two throws were affected by rain, and Javelin can’t be done in that situation. The grip gets wet, increases weight, and the javelin gets slippery,” he explained.

“I am not entirely happy. I have seen him go 90m plus during training, and for the last year, we have been training with a set target. I would say it was bad luck,” he added.

Sachin’s finish is the best result by an Indian javelin thrower at the World Championships, apart from Neeraj Chopra. This also marks India's best result since Anju Bobby George's bronze in the women’s long jump at Helsinki in 2005, aside from Neeraj Chopra’s achievements.

The coach-student duo may have returned without a medal, but Singh believes this is just the beginning for the 6-foot-5 athlete to achieve greater distances with his throws.