India’s Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra cruised into the World Athletics Championships 2025 javelin final with a single throw of 84.85m, comfortably crossing the automatic qualification mark of 84.50m. The 26-year-old will now aim for a third consecutive World Championship medal when he competes in the final on Thursday, September 18, in Tokyo.
Chopra, who has already won silver in Eugene (2022) and gold in Budapest (2023), remains calm despite the pressure of retaining his crown. “Distance-wise it is not that good, but the best thing is that we crossed the qualifying mark in the first throw. Now I can recover well for the final,” Chopra said.
This edition carries extra emotional weight after Chopra’s Paris Olympics silver, where rival Arshad Nadeem (Pakistan) claimed gold with a historic 92.97m. With Czech legend Jan Železný now guiding him, Chopra is blending consistency with the search for one big throw.
The conditions in Tokyo are challenging, with humidity crossing 80%, but Chopra insists, “We are Indians, we are used to the heat, so there is no problem.” Analysts suggest humid weather may even aid longer javelin throws due to reduced air resistance.
While fellow Indian Praveen Chithravel (triple jump) and Animesh Kujur (200m) saw their campaigns end, Chopra carries India’s biggest medal hope. Having already crossed the 90m mark earlier this season in Doha, the focus now is on producing when it matters most.
A medal in Tokyo would cement Neeraj Chopra’s place among the all-time greats of javelin and deliver India yet another historic athletics moment.
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