TOKYO– Three years after making history at Tokyo’s National Stadium with his Olympic gold medal, Indian javelin ace Neeraj Chopra is back at the same venue, this time eyeing another landmark at the 2025 World Athletics Championships.
The 27-year-old enters as the defending champion, having secured India’s first-ever world title in athletics with a throw of 88.17 meters in Budapest in 2023. On that occasion, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem took silver with 87.82 meters.
But their rivalry deepened at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Nadeem unleashed a massive 92.97-meter effort to claim gold, relegating Chopra to silver despite his impressive 89.45 meters.
Currently ranked World No. 2, Chopra will be aiming for his third World Championship medal after also winning silver in Eugene, Oregon, in 2022. Earlier this season, he broke the 90-meter barrier for the first time, setting a national record with 90.23 meters in Doha’s Diamond League. That mark, however, still places him third in the global standings behind Germany’s Julian Weber (91.51m) and Brazil’s Luiz da Silva.
The men’s javelin competition promises intense battles, with three athletes surpassing 90 meters this year and five others having done so in previous seasons. A total of 37 competitors will vie for 12 spots in Thursday’s final, with the automatic qualification mark set at 84.50 meters. Chopra competes in Group A, while Nadeem is in Group B. India will also field Sachin Yadav (Group A), along with Rohit Yadav and Yashvir Singh (Group B).
Weber, the reigning Diamond League champion, headlines the international field alongside Grenada’s two-time world champion Anderson Peters, Trinidad and Tobago’s 2012 Olympic gold medalist Keshorn Walcott, and Czech star Jakub Vadlejch, the Tokyo 2020 silver medalist.
India’s women’s javelin hopes rest with Asian Games gold medalist Annu Rani, who has a season-best of 62.59 meters. She faces stiff competition from reigning world champion Haruka Kitaguchi of Japan, Austria’s Victoria Hudson, the season leader at 67.76 meters, and Serbia’s Adriana Vilagos (67.22m).
The men’s qualifiers take place Wednesday, with Group A starting at 3:40 p.m. and Group B at 5:15 p.m. The final will be held Thursday at 3:53 p.m. The women’s qualifiers follow on Friday, with the medal round set for Saturday at 5:35 p.m.
Fans in India can watch live on JioHotstar, with telecasts available on Star Sports Select 1, Star Sports Select 1 HD, Star Sports Select 2, and Star Sports Select 2 HD. (Source: IANS)
