World Athletics Championships: Big heartbreak for Neeraj Chopra, out of the medal race with 8th place finish with best throw of 84.03m

Defending champion Neeraj Chopra has been eliminated from the World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo. India's javelin superstar's best effort of 84.03m came in the fifth round of the finals, which left him in eighth place overall.

Neeraj Chopra knocked out of World Athletics Championships

Neeraj's best throw of the final was just 84.02m, falling significantly short of his personal best of 90.23m. Chopra's visible frustration was clear as he let out a roar of disappointment after being eliminated in the fifth round.

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This marked the first time in seven years that Chopra did not medal at an international competition, ending his remarkable four-year streak of finishing in the top two at every major event. It was a night of upsets, as Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan also had a disappointing performance. Nadeem finished in tenth place after a series of underwhelming throws and was eliminated early. Notably, only the top six throwers will take part in the sixth and final round in medal race.

India's star athlete started the final with a decent throw of 83.65m, and improved to 84.03m on his second attempt. His third throw was a foul, but it was still enough to secure him a spot in the next round of the competition.

However, things took a turn in the final rounds. His fourth throw was a disappointing 82.86m, and his fifth and final attempt was a foul after he slipped during his run-up. These setbacks led to him finishing outside the podium places for the first time in 26 competitions. Earlier, in the qualification round, Neeraj had a best throw of 84.85m, and he had also finished second at the Diamond League Final with a best throw of 85.01m.