eeraj Chopra endured a nightmarish outing at the World Championships' men's javelin throw finals to end a disappointing eighth at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal in men's javelin throw event of the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar, his spear shimmering through the balmy Wednesday evening sky after an unusually slow start in his first competitive outing on Indian soil in three years.
Neeraj Chopra would now be eyeing a top finish when he goes up against familiar rivals in the prestigious Paris Diamond League
Lots to look forward to in Indian sports as packed 2026 calender awaits
The Neeraj Chopra Classic, a star-studded global javelin event featuring double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra, will be held in Panchkula on May 24.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
Chopra had claimed the silver at this event in 2022.
Indian javelin throw superstar Neeraj Chopra on Tuesday clinched the title at the Golden Spike meet in his maiden appearance in Ostrava, Czech Republic, his back-to-back win in a top-class competition.
India set to bid for 2027 World Athletics Championships: Neeraj Chopra
Having secured second place in the Diamond League at Brussels despite an injury, Chopra was honored with a grand reception by the Sports University of Haryana in Sonipat on Friday.
'I didn't expect such a crowd and support in the first season.'
Neeraj Chopra said he has suffered a muscle strain and was pulling out of next month's FBK Games as a precautionary measure.
They weren't up for a windfall even after the trophy but life was certain to get a lot better as some sponsors and state governments stepped up to lift them financially.
Neeraj Chopra pipped two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada for the top spot in the 2024
For Neeraj Chopra, the inaugural edition of Neeraj Chopra Classic is more than achieving success on the field, it's giving the Indian fans a chance to watch top-class competition in person, something that will help raise the profile of the sport in the country.
Anderson Peters of Grenada and Tokyo Olympics silver winner Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic had come up with 93.07m and 90.88m throws respectively
Summary of all that made news on Monday
Neeraj Chopra is in best physical condition to claim a medal at the Paris Games
India's Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra said he is looking forward to starting his Diamond League season in Stockholm on June 30.
Neeraj Chopra will happily settle for a shorter throw in Paris if it proves enough for him to hold on to his Olympic title, his coach said.
Neeraj Chopra had fallen agonisingly short of the 90m mark, throwing the spear to a distance of 89.94m at the Diamond League meet in Stockholm.
More 90m throws to come this season: Neeraj Chopra
"I feel very good now, because everyone is a little tired after the World Championships. We gave our 100 per cent there (in Budapest), but for this competition here my focus was to just stay healthy, and we have to focus now for Eugene (Diamond League finals on September 17) and then the (Hangzhou) Asian Games (from September 23).
Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has pulled out of the prestigious Paavo Nurmi Games to be held on June 13 at Turku in Finland.
'I am relieved it is coming together well for me. A win is a win and I will take that happily.'
A World Championships gold is the only medal missing in Neeraj Chopra's decorated cabinet and the superstar Indian javelin thrower will fancy his chances.
During the Paris Olympics, Chopra had expressed his desire to play in the Diamond League Final to be held in Brussels, Belgium, on September 14. For that to happen, he will have to play at least one DL Meeting -- either in Lausanne on August 22 or in Zurich on September 5.
Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Thursday lauded World Athletics' decision to award USD 50,000 to all its gold-medallists in the Paris Olympic Games and said he would like to see such incentive being given in other global competitions as well.
Chopra had said in recent media interactions that he would not put himself under pressure with the thought of throwing beyond 90m and would look to build up gradually to peak during the July 15-24 World Championships in Eugene, USA.
Neeraj clinched his second consecutive Diamond League title on June 30 with a throw of 87.66m -- an effort that was not close to his best in recent past.
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra clinched his first top podium finish of the season by winning the javelin throw event at the Kuortane Games in Finland, beating reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada for the second time in four days, on Saturday.
Olympic gold-medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is aiming to breach the 90m mark before the Paris Olympics and says the way his preparations are going, it could happen anytime soon.
Star Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar has undergone a surgery on his injured knee that ruled him out of the Paris Olympics in July-August.
Murali Sreeshankar has been ruled out of Paris Olympics after sustaining a knee injury during training.
Neeraj Chopra said the challenge throughout the season was how to keep his mind away from the injury and focus more on his game.
Neeraj Chopra on Thursday acknowledged that his stardom sometimes comes in the way of training and competing in India.
According to AFP, although Doha hosts a Diamond League meeting, athletics has no real roots in Qatar and the decision to take the World Championships to the Gulf raised eyebrows.
Olympic 800 metres champion and world record-holder David Rudisha will miss the remainder of the season and is unlikely to race again until at least March next year, the Kenyan athlete's coach has said.
Neeraj has won gold medals in Olympics (Tokyo in 2021), Asian Games (2018) and Commonwealth Games (2018), besides becoming the Diamond League champion last year.
Kenya's Olympic and world 3,000 metres steeplechase champion Conseslus Kipruto has tested positive for coronavirus and will miss the season-opening Diamond League meeting in Monaco on Friday, the 25-year-old has confirmed.
