Commonwealth Games 2022 athletics: Annu Rani wins India’s maiden women’s javelin throw medal at CWG 

Annu Rani kept India’s medals counter ticking at Birmingham, winning the women’s javelin throw bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 on Sunday.

This was India’s first medal in women’s javelin throw at the Commonwealth Games and the third overall. Tokyo champion Neeraj Chopra, gold at Gold Coast 2018, and Kashinath Naik, bronze at New Delhi 2010, are the other medal winners.

Annu Rani, who set the Indian national record in women’s javelin with a 63.82m effort at the Indian Open Javelin Throw Competition in May, logged a best effort of 60.00m at the Alexander Stadium to clinch her podium finish.

"I have an old ankle injury which continues to bother me and that hindered me with my last five strides while I was throwing," Annu Rani revealed.

"I'm not happy with my bronze or my distance," she added. I can throw better than 60 metres and was hoping to do that today."

The Indian, who had won a bronze at the Asian Games 2014, threw 55.61m with her first throw before fouling her next two attempts. Her winning effort came with her fourth throw.

Annu Rani’s compatriot Shilpa Rani, meanwhile, finished seventh in an eight-woman final. Her best effort measured 54.62m.

Australia’s Kelsey-Lee Barber, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist, won the gold medal at Birmingham with a 64.43m throw while her countrywoman Mackenzie Little bagged silver with a new personal best of 64.27m.

Indian 4x100m women’s relay team finishes fifth

The Indian 4x100m women’s relay team of Dutee Chand, Hima Das, Srabani Nanda and Jyothi Yarraji, finished fifth among eight teams in the final.

The Indian quartet, who qualified for the medal round after clocking 44.45s in the heats, timed 43.81 in the finals.

Nigeria clocked 42.10s, a new African record, to win the gold medal ahead of England (42.41) and Jamaica (43.08), who took the silver and bronze, respectively.

DP Manu fifth, Rohit Yadav sixth in men’s javelin throw

With defending champion Indian ace Neeraj Chopra missing from Birmingham due to injury, his compatriots DP Manu and Rohit Yadav finished a respectable fifth and sixth, respectively, in the men’s javelin throw event.

While 22-year-old DP Manu recorded a best throw of 82.28m at the event, 21-year-old Rohit Yadav, who competed alongside Neeraj Chopra at the world championships last month, mastered a best throw of 82.22m in Birmingham.

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem pulled off a major upset, beating Anderson Peters of Grenada and Julius Yego of Kenya, both world champions, to the gold medal.

Arshad Nadeem recorded a personal best and Games record throw of 90.18m to clinch the gold medal. Anderson Peters, who successfully defended his world championships title at Oregon last month, won the silver with an 88.64m throw.

Julius Yego, the 2015 world champion and Rio Olympics 2016 silver medallist, picked up the bronze with 85.70m.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott, the London 2012 Olympic champion, had a disappointing outing and finished fourth with 82.61m.