India’s golden boy, Neeraj Chopra, faced an uncharacteristic setback at the World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo, finishing eighth in the men’s javelin throw final with a best effort of 84.03m. For a man who has consistently dominated the field since his historic Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold, the result came as a shock to both fans and the athlete himself.
A rare off-day for Neeraj Chopra
The performance marked the first time since the 2018 Continental Cup that Chopra failed to finish inside the top three at an international meet. Even more telling, it was his first time outside the top two since the 2021 Kourtane Games.
“I don’t understand what happened today. This has not happened for a long time,” Neeraj Chopra admitted after the final.
The two-time Olympic medallist revealed he had been grappling with a physical issue before arriving in Tokyo. “Two weeks ago I had some back issues but I didn’t want to tell anyone. I was thinking I would still manage to get through it. But javelin is really tough. If you are not in a good shape, you’re out.”
Looking ahead: Learning from the setback
Despite the disappointment, the former Olympic champion stressed that this result would serve as a valuable lesson in his journey forward.
“It’s OK. I will learn from today. Maybe I need more training or to improve my technique. Maybe I just need more time for training. But it’s life, it’s sport. I have to accept it and move on,” he said.
Neeraj Chopra dismissed concerns about competing on back-to-back days, pointing out that he had qualified comfortably with his very first throw in the preliminaries.
“Competing two days in a row was not a problem. It was OK because I qualified yesterday with my first throw. It was not too far but I was thinking it was still good, and that I could throw further today.”
The season so far and the bigger picture
The World Championships marked Chopra’s seventh outing of 2025, a year where he had already picked up four titles, including victories at the Paris Diamond League and his own Chopra Classic in Bengaluru. His season-best and national record of 90.23m, achieved at the Doha Diamond League, underlines that his form remains elite despite the Tokyo disappointment.
Neeraj Chopra is expected to go back to the drawing board, analyzing his throws and working on both technique and conditioning as he gears up for the next phase of the season.
Podium surprises in Tokyo
The men’s javelin final delivered more shocks than expected. Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, reigning Olympic champion and holder of the Olympic record, could only finish 10th with 82.75m.
Meanwhile, Sachin Yadav of India delivered a personal best of 86.27m to finish a commendable fourth, narrowly missing out on a medal.
At the top, Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago seized gold with 88.16m, Grenada’s Anderson Peters took silver with 87.38m, and the USA’s Curtis Thompson earned bronze with 86.67m.