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Sachin Yadav is all set to make his debut in the Diamond League at the Rome leg of the elite athletics series on June 4, while two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra is absent from the competition's entry list.
Neeraj, who is currently in Turkiye for training and rehabilitation, has yet to begin his 2026 season. His last appearance was in September at the Tokyo World Championships, where, despite a back injury, he finished eighth, according to Olympics.com. With Neeraj missing from the Rome event, focus will shift to Sachin Yadav, who features among the eight athletes entered in the men's javelin throw competition. The 26-year-old Sachin will be competing internationally for the first time since his breakthrough outing at last year's World Championships, where he secured fourth place with a personal best effort of 86.27m, narrowly missing a podium finish. He had also clinched silver at the Asian Championships last year. At the Rome 2026 Diamond League, Sachin will face a strong line-up that includes former world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, Germany's Julian Weber, Rio 2016 Olympic champion Thomas Rohler and Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of Czechia. The field will also feature Curtis Thompson of the USA, Poland's Dawid Wegner and Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who currently leads the world rankings this season. Sachin has already opened his 2026 campaign on the domestic circuit, finishing second at the Indian Athletics Series meet in New Delhi in April with a best throw of 81.95m. The men's javelin throw event is also scheduled to take place at the Rabat Diamond League in Morocco on May 31, though the entry list for that meet is yet to be released. Meanwhile, Indian middle-distance runner Parul Chaudhary, who holds the national records in women's 3000m, 5000m and 3000m steeplechase, is set to participate in the steeplechase event at the Shanghai Diamond League on May 16. The upcoming race will mark Parul's third appearance in a Diamond League meet. The reigning Asian Games 5000m champion had finished 16th in Eugene in 2024 and sixth in Doha last year. In Shanghai, she will compete against reigning world champion Faith Cherotich, former world champion Norah Jeruto and former Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai. The Shanghai leg will now serve as the opening event of the 2026 Diamond League season after the Doha meet, originally scheduled for May 8, was pushed back to June 19. Both Sachin and Parul will aim to use the Diamond League competitions and exposure against top international athletes to prepare for a demanding season ahead, which includes the 2026 Asian Games. (ANI)
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