Once a cricket-loving teenager from a small village, Sachin Yadav now competes with the world’s best. After making a statement with a fourth-place finish at the Tokyo World Championships, the 25-year-old is being tipped for Olympic success in Los Angeles. His former coaches highlight what makes him special and why he draws comparisons to Pakistan’s Olympic champion, Arshad Nadeem.
At the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, a name not many outside Indian athletics had marked as a contender shook up the javelin world. Sachin Yadav, just 25, finished fourth — ahead of reigning champion Neeraj Chopra, Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan, and world leader Julian Weber of Germany — three of the pre-event favourites.
It was the kind of performance that forces a sport to sit up and take notice. And for those watching closely, it was not entirely out of the blue. Observers had long pointed to his tall frame and whiplash release, often likening him to Arshad Nadeem. Those comparisons only sharpened in Tokyo, where Sachin stood shoulder to shoulder with the best — and looked entirely at home.
Training under reputed coach Naval Singh in New Delhi, Sachin, 25, crossed his personal best not once but three times at the World Championships, proving he was not overawed by the occasion in his maiden world final. On a humid Tokyo day where several big names faltered, he opened with a statement throw of 86.27m and went past 85m on three occasions. In the end, he missed a historic medal by just 40 centimetres, finishing behind American Curtis Thompson.
What has stood out is his consistency, separating him from the growing assembly line of Neeraj Chopra-inspired throwers across India. Nine of his 10 throws over 80m have come since the start of the 2024 season.
A strong frame. Broad shoulders. Natural athleticism. And now, potential meeting performance.
Sachin’s journey began far from the spotlight, in a small village in Uttar Pradesh. Like many teenagers in the region, cricket was his first love. He bowled fast, and on dusty village pitches, his rhythm was hard to miss. One afternoon, during a casual match, a neighbour — athlete Sandeep Yadav — spotted something others hadn’t.
Sandeep urged Sachin to try javelin. It was an unusual switch for a teenager who had never trained seriously in athletics, but under Sandeep’s guidance, Sachin took his first steps into a discipline that would soon redefine his life. What started as curiosity quickly turned into results. The arm that once delivered cricket balls began hurling javelins over remarkable distances.
MENTORS WHO SAW A SPARK
By the time he was 21, Sachin was throwing respectably but lacked the refinement and exposure needed to climb higher. It was then he reached out to Michael Musselmann, a coach from Peru who had become an unlikely lifeline for Indian javelin through his Facebook page.
“Sachin is a real talent. I first heard about him in 2019. He approached me and asked if I could coach him a little bit. He was throwing 75 then. It was difficult to coach him virtually. But, at 21, he didn’t take it very seriously. And then Samarjeet, who is a friend of mine, took care of him for two years and this is when he really made the jump,” Musselmann recalls in an exclusive chat with IndiaToday.in.
Musselmann’s page had already become something of a hub — a space where aspiring throwers could seek advice, technical feedback, or even financial support. Sachin was one of many who leaned on him, but few with the same natural gifts.
In 2022, Sachin came under the wing of Samarjeet Singh, who was already building a reputation after working with Kishore Jena, Asia Games 2022 silver medallist. For Samarjeet, Sachin was raw but brimming with capacity.
“I am very happy for him. He trained with me for two years, going from 74m to 81m. He stayed at my place for two years. He was very dedicated,” Samarjeet says.
The work was hands-on and intensive. Samarjeet began with the basics: correcting coordination issues, stabilising Sachin’s body through the throw, and building his diet and strength.
“At the start, he had a bit of an issue with his coordination. But, he is getting better at that now. When he came to me first, he had issues with falling over a bit too much. We worked on his block leg extensively. We got good results. When he was staying at my place, he was focusing on his diet and upper body. We worked on the block leg. He was not distracted at all. He is firmly focused on his goal,” he explains.
