DOHA — Olympic and World Champion Neeraj Chopra opened his 2025 season in sensational fashion on Friday night, hurling the javelin 90.18 metres at the Diamond League meeting in Doha to shatter his own national record of 89.94m set in 2023 and win the event by nearly three metres.
A Statement Performance
The throw, which came in his third attempt, landed in the 90-metre zone — a mark reached by fewer than 20 athletes in javelin history — and was greeted with gasps from the crowd at the Khalifa International Stadium. Germany's Julian Weber finished second with 87.21m.
"I knew the 90 was coming. My body felt good, the conditions were perfect, and I just let it fly," Neeraj said. "This is just the beginning of the season. LA 2028 is the ultimate target and every throw this year is building towards that."
India's Athletics Revolution
Neeraj's performance caps a remarkable week for Indian athletics after Avinash Sable broke the Asian 3000m steeplechase record in Brussels and Jyothi Yarraji clocked a personal best 12.62 seconds in the 100m hurdles in Rabat.