yash-vir-singh-stuns-jena-to-win-indian-open-javelin-title

Yash Vir Singh upstaged Asian Games silver medallist Kishore Kumar Jena to claim the men's javelin throw title at the Indian Open Athletics 2025 meet held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Tuesday, Olympics.com reported.

 

Singh produced a winning throw of 77.49 metres on his fifth attempt, edging past Jena’s best effort of 75.99 metres which came in the fourth round. Both athletes, however, breached the qualification mark of 75.36 metres set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for the upcoming Asian Athletics Championships 2025.

 

Braveman Heart, who secured third place with a 72.36-metre throw, fell short of the entry mark.

 

This edition of the Asian Championships is scheduled to be held in Gumi, Republic of Korea, in May. The AFI, however, retains the final say in the selection of participants.

 

Tuesday’s event in Chennai marked Kishore Jena’s return to competitive action since the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where he had finished 18th with a best of 80.73 metres. His personal best of 87.54 metres came at the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023, earning him silver behind Neeraj Chopra.

 

The athletics meet featured several of India’s top contenders gearing up for the international calendar.

 

Among the standout performances was that of Asian Championships silver medallist Shaili Singh, who clinched gold in the women’s long jump with a 6.45-metre leap — surpassing the 6.41-metre qualification mark for the Asian meet.

 

In the women's 400m hurdles, Asian Games 2023 bronze medallist Vithya Ramraj finished first with a time of 56.90 seconds.

 

Tejas Shirse, India’s national record holder in the 110m hurdles, competed with a strapping on his leg and managed a second-place finish, clocking 13.96 seconds — just 0.02 seconds behind the winner. Manav R. Muhammed Lazan placed third in the event with a timing of 14.37 seconds.

 

Olympian Jeswin Aldrin, who holds the national record of 8.42 metres in the men’s long jump, could only manage 7.36 metres, finishing seventh. Aditya Kumar Singh won the event with a 7.74-metre effort.

 

The Indian Open Athletics series comprises multiple meets across the country. The next leg of the competition will be held in Chennai on 21 April.