Sergey Makarov Takes Charge: India’s Javelin Throwers Gear Up For New Heights

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The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has named two-time Olympic medalist Sergey Aleksandrovich Makarov as the new foreign coach for the Indian national javelin throw team.

Makarov, who claimed back-to-back bronze medals for the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) at the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympics, is also a former world men's javelin throw champion.

The 2003 World Championships gold medalist joined NIS Patiala a few days ago and held some sessions with the javelin throwers.

"Training under Sergey Makarov is going really well. He is a very fit coach, and he demonstrates each thing by doing it himself." - 2019 Asian Championships silver medalist and Tokyo Olympian Shivpal Singh told myKhel.

On Monday, the first throwing session with javelin throwers took place at NIS Patiala. His immediate focus will be on the upcoming National Games. There are two throwing sessions per week for the throwers.

"Training is going well under the new coach, and there's a bit more focus on technique. Everything is going great with him right now," said javelin thrower Rohit Yadav.

In his new role, Makarov will oversee the Indian athletics program for the upcoming Olympic cycle. His major assignments this year will include the Asian Championships and the World Athletics Championships.

Interestingly, in the last World Championships, India delivered a brilliant performance. Neeraj Chopra (88.17m) won the first-ever gold medal, while Kishore Jena (84.77m) finished fifth, and DP Manu (84.17m) secured sixth place in the finals. Now, with the Tokyo World Championships approaching, the qualification mark is set at 85.50m, and so far, only Neeraj Chopra has qualified for the tournament.

"Training is going well; they are currently observing how everyone trains and assessing the fitness levels of each athlete," said Asian U-20 Championships silver medalist Rohan Yadav.

Currently, at NIS Patiala, 2019 Asian Championships silver medalist Shivpal Singh, 2022 World Championships finalist Rohit Yadav, Asian Games medalist Annu Rani, and U-20 Asian Athletics Championships medalist Rohan Yadav are all training under Sergey Makarov.