Although he was already a Junior World and Asian champion by that point, there’s a fair argument to be made that it was at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April 2018 that a then 21-year-old Neeraj Chopra truly broke into the national reckoning by winning gold in the men’s javelin throw.
That wouldn’t, of course, be his last triumph at a multi-sport Games — he’d follow it up with gold at the 2018 Asian Games, a historic Olympic title at Tokyo 2021 and a silver at the Paris Games in 2024.
Gold Coast, though, would remain the last time Neeraj competed at the Commonwealth Games. He missed the 2022 edition in Birmingham after suffering an injury at the World Championships a few weeks before the event.
In 2018, he was still in the early stages of his climb towards the pinnacle of world sport. He made it to the top, but it’s taken enormous effort to stay there. Now, eight years later, Neeraj is back in CWG, ready to step into Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow on July 30 as the undisputed poster boy of Indian athletics.
The last couple of seasons have been difficult for Neeraj. Now 28 years old, injuries have started to catch up with him. He failed to medal at last year’s World Championships and then underwent a lengthy nine-month rehabilitation programme before beginning his 2026 season only last month.
On his return, he finished fourth at the Diamond League in Doha. Outside of last year’s World Championships, it was the lowest he had finished at any competition going all the way back to the 2017 World Championships.
Neeraj finished fourth at the Diamond League in Doha. Outside of last year’s World Championships, it was the lowest he had finished at any competition going all the way back to the 2017 World Championships. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
At Glasgow, things aren’t going to be any easier considering the standard of competition. On paper, there are multiple throwers who would be favoured over Neeraj. Sri Lankan phenom Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who has thrown 92.62m at the Rome Diamond League this season, will go in as the obvious favourite for gold.
Grenada’s Anderson Peters and reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem are also more than capable of producing monster throws. There’s competition from India too — Rohit Yadav, whose 87.05m makes him second on this season’s world list.
With Neeraj bracing for a tough challenge, the rest of the 32-strong Indian athletics contingent will have their work cut out as they aim to better the eight medals India won in 2022 — one gold, four silver and three bronze.
Of the 23 track and field events that will be contested in Glasgow, there’s just one where an Indian has a season’s best better than the rest of the confirmed field — the men’s long jump, in which Murali Sreeshankar leads with an effort of 8.38m this season.
As the leading athlete among Commonwealth nations, Murali will be looking to improve on the silver he won at the Birmingham Games. Praveen Chithravel, who finished fourth in the triple jump four years ago, is expected to reach the podium this time, with his season’s best of 17.08m placing him second in the field at Glasgow. Although his best is still some way behind Jamaican Jordan Scott’s 17.69m, Praveen has said he’s targeting a leap of 17.50m. Anything close to that would certainly keep him in the hunt for gold.
Also looking for a place at the top of the podium will be high jumper Sarvesh Kushare, who cleared a personal best 2.31m at last month’s Inter-State Championships. That mark is the joint highest among Commonwealth nations alongside that of England’s Kimani Jack and is higher than that of reigning Olympic and world champion Hamish Kerr of New Zealand, whose season’s best stands at 2.28m.
Tejaswin Shankar and Tejas Shirse will look to reach the podium in the men’s decathlon and men’s 110m hurdles respectively. Tejaswin already has a bronze in the men’s high jump from four years ago. He also owns the second-highest season’s best in men’s decathlon among the Glasgow field (8,057 points — a national record), behind only Canada’s Damian Warner (8,497 points).
Considering Tejaswin achieved his score using less-than-ideal equipment — he had avoided bringing his vaulting poles to India, preferring to fly them directly to Scotland — he will be in a strong position to improve further.
Force of nature: Tejaswin Shankar already has a bronze in the men’s high jump from four years ago. He also owns the second-highest season’s best in men’s decathlon. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Tejas, meanwhile, has a season’s best of 13.27 seconds, which is not only a national record but also ranks him second this year among athletes entered for the Commonwealth Games.
Also in with a chance of a medal is Gulveer Singh, whose national record of 13:03.93 in men’s 5000m places him fourth among Commonwealth Games athletes behind Australia’s Ky Robinson (12:50.82), Kenya’s Cornelius Kemboi (12:56.02) and Mathew Kipsang (12:58.95).
In the women’s events, medals will likely be harder to come by. Well placed to make the podium is discus thrower Seema Punia, whose season’s best of 59.73m places her third among likely competitors behind Jamaica’s Samantha Hall (66.39m) and Canada’s Julia Tunks (63.58m).
Parul Chaudhary, in the 3000m steeplechase, is also in the mix for a medal, with her season’s best of 9:12.84 placing her fourth among likely competitors in Glasgow.
There’s still plenty to look forward to even among Indians who aren’t favourites to stand on top of the podium. Take the men’s 100m sprint, for example, in which Gurindervir Singh set the national record of 10.09 seconds at the Federation Cup in Ranchi in May. Gurindervir’s effort is only the 14th fastest among confirmed entrants for the Commonwealth Games. There are 10 runners who have broken the 10-second barrier. While that means it’s very unlikely Gurindervir will be contesting for a medal, he has the chance to improve his national record further and edge closer to the 10-second barrier — something he has set as a career goal.
Also looking to improve on her national record will be 19-year-old high jumper Pooja, who won junior Asian gold with a clearance of 1.93m. While Pooja’s season’s best places her only fifth among competitors in Glasgow — behind Australia’s Eleanor Patterson (2m) and Nicola Olyslagers (1.99m), Nigeria’s Temitope Adeshina (1.97m) and Jamaica’s Lamara Distin (1.96m) — the Indian is still improving and could well produce another personal best.
Skyward bound: 19-year-old Pooja, who won Asian high-jump gold with a 1.93m leap, is ranked fifth in the Glasgow field | Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN
With age on her side, it’s likely that Pooja will continue to improve in the years to come. The Commonwealth Games, if anything, will be another stepping stone in her career. For Neeraj, though, there’s likely more at stake.
While he doesn’t have much left to prove, there’s no doubt he won’t want to be simply another competitor. His performance in Doha indicated that although he’s still got some way to go, he’s clearly on the way back to his best. Both Neeraj and India will hope he gets there in Glasgow.
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Published on Jul 21, 2026