Neeraj Chopra Secures Javelin Throw Final Berth At World Athletics Championships 2025

Defending champion Neeraj Chopra secured his place in the men's javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo's National Stadium, clearing the automatic qualification mark of 84.50m with his first attempt. The 27-year-old two-time Olympic medallist registered 84.85m in the Group A qualification round on Wednesday, September 17.

Chopra, the first thrower in Group A, completed his participation after securing his final spot. Athletes clearing 84.50m or the top 12 finishers will advance to the final round, which is scheduled for Thursday, September 18.

Chopra was grouped with German star Julian Weber, who also qualified with an 87.21m throw. Keshorn Walcott, Jakub Vadlejch, and Indian athlete Sachin Yadav were also part of the 19-man Group A.

Neeraj Chopra's Competitors In Title Defence

The 18-strong Group B features Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, Anderson Peters, Julius Yego, and Luiz Da Silva. Indian athletes Rohit Yadav and Yashvir Singh are included in Group B, alongside rising Sri Lankan Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage.

At the previous World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Chopra won gold with an 88.17m throw. Nadeem secured silver with 87.82m, and Vadlejch earned the bronze medal with 86.67m.

Chopra aims to become only the third male javelin thrower in history to defend the World Championships gold medal. Czech legend Jan Zelezny achieved this in 1993 and 1995. Grenadian Peters also won consecutive titles in 2019 and 2022. Zelezny currently coaches Chopra.

Chopra will face Nadeem for the first time since the 2024 Paris Olympics. Notably, Nadeem won gold there with 92.97m, while Chopra finished second in Paris with 89.45m. The World Athletics Championships final presents Chopra with an opportunity for another title.

(With PTI Inputs)