Daijiworld Media Network - Tokyo
Tokyo, Sep 16: Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra, who won his historic Olympic gold at Tokyo’s National Stadium in 2021, is set to return to the iconic venue on Wednesday to compete at the 2025 World Athletics Championships. Chopra, the defending world champion, first made history in Budapest in 2023 by becoming India’s first-ever athletics world champion with a throw of 88.17m.
Chopra faces stiff competition, especially from his rival Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who clinched Olympic gold in Paris last year with a massive 92.97m throw, dethroning Chopra, who settled for silver at 89.45m. Chopra, currently world No. 2, aims for his third World Championship medal, having won silver in Eugene, USA, three years ago.
Earlier this season, Chopra broke the 90m barrier with a national record of 90.23m in Doha’s Diamond League event, ranking third globally behind Germany’s Julian Weber and Brazil’s Luiz da Silva. The men’s javelin event features a highly competitive field, with three athletes crossing 90m this year and several others with similar achievements in previous seasons.
A total of 37 athletes will compete in two qualification groups, aiming to secure one of 12 spots for Thursday’s final. Chopra will compete in Group A, while Nadeem will be in Group B. India’s contingent also includes Sachin Yadav (Group A), Rohit Yadav, and Yashvir Singh (Group B).
Top contenders include Julian Weber, this season’s Diamond League champion and current leader with a 91.51m throw, along with two-time world champion Anderson Peters, 2012 Olympic gold medallist Keshorn Walcott, and Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch.
On the women’s side, Asian Games gold medallist Annu Rani will lead India’s charge in the javelin throw. Rani, with a season-best throw of 62.59m, faces tough competition from reigning world champion Haruka Kitaguchi of Japan, Austria’s Victoria Hudson (season leader at 67.76m), and Serbia’s Adriana Vilagos.
Women’s qualifiers begin Friday, with the final on Saturday.
Event timings:
Men’s qualification — Group A at 3:40 pm, Group B at 5:15 pm (Wednesday)
Men’s final — 3:53 pm (Thursday)
Women’s qualification — Group A at 4 pm, Group B at 5:30 pm (Friday)
Women’s final — 5:35 pm (Saturday)
Broadcast:
Live streaming available on JioHotstar in India; TV broadcast on Star Sports Select 1 & 2 channels.