Indian javelin thrower Sachin Yadav has been included in the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) of the World Athletics anti-doping body Athletes Integrity Unit for the first quarter of 2026. He joins double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra as the only Indian athlete present on the list.
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While Neeraj has been a regular on the list for past five years, Sachin was included after his breakthrough year where he won a silver medal at the Asian Athletics Championships and finished fourth at the World Athletics Championships outperforming Chopra and then World Champion Arshad Nadeem. He recorded his personal best of 86.27m at the competition.
Chopra, who has struggled with his fitness, finished eighth in the final ending his long streak of finishing on podium in every tournament he plays in.
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26-year-old Sachin has emerged as the next big thing in the Indian javelin after a string of impressive performances in the 2025 season. Currently he is training alongside former Russian World Champion and Indian national coach Sergey Makarov in Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi.
2026 is going to be packed year for both Indian throwers as Asian Games and Commonwealth Games are two important tournaments scheduled in the later half of the year. While Neeraj will defend his Asian Games title and might return to trimmed down CWG after missing the 2022 edition. Sachin is expected to make his debut at both the multi-sporting events given he continues his rich vein of form.
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The new RTP list is dominated by athletes from Ethiopia, Kenya and the USA.
In the previous RTP, javelin thrower Kishore Jena, steeplechaser Avinash Sable, woman javelin thrower Annu Rani, and long jumpers Murali Sreeshankar and Jeswin Aldrin were among those listed. But none of them find a place in the first quarter list of the new year.
The RTP is highest tier pool of international or national level athletes who undergo no-advance notice testing.
The athletes in this list have to provide details of their whereabouts, including home address, and also specify a 60-minute window each day during which they would be available for testing.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd