India’s javelin stars Neeraj Chopra and Sachin Yadav have been included in the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) of the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for the first quarter of 2026.
The RTP is the highest-tier pool of international and national-level athletes who undergo no-advance notice testing.
Neeraj, a two-time Olympic medalist, has been a regular in the RTP. Sachin, however, is a new entrant after his impressive fourth-place finish at the World Championships last year. The 26-year-old from Uttar Pradesh recorded a personal best throw of 86.27m, outperforming Neeraj, who finished eighth due to fitness concerns, and even reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan, who ended 10th.
Sachin, standing over six feet tall, is now being regarded as the next big name in Indian javelin, a discipline dominated by Neeraj for more than half a decade. His inclusion in the RTP reflects his rising stature in world athletics.
Athletes in the RTP must provide details of their whereabouts, including home address, and specify a 60-minute daily window during which they are available for testing. The list for this quarter is dominated by athletes from Ethiopia, Kenya, and the USA.
In the previous RTP, Indian athletes such as Kishore Jena, Avinash Sable, Annu Rani, Murali Sreeshankar, and Jeswin Aldrin were included. None of them features in the latest list.
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