Chennai: Neeraj Chopra — the face of Indian athletics — launched the javelin beyond the 90-meter barrier for the first time in his career, recording a remarkable 90.23 meters at the Doha Diamond League.
This throw also confirmed that he has fully recovered from past injuries. Despite the milestone, Chopra did not finish first, as Germany’s Julian Weber unleashed a massive 91.06-meter throw in his final attempt.
After years of narrowly missing the mark, the two-time Olympic medalist finally proved he could reach javelin’s elite benchmark. With this achievement, he became only the 25th man in history to surpass the 90-meter mark, TNIE reported.
It’s likely no coincidence that Neeraj Chopra — who has often faced questions about the elusive 90m mark — finally achieved it under the guidance of Jan Zelezny, the legendary Czech thrower who surpassed 90 meters over 50 times in his career.
This marks an ideal start for Chopra with his new coach, after parting ways with German biomechanics expert Klaus Bartonietz after last year's Olympics.
In a highly competitive field that included top throwers like Jakub Vadlejch, Julian Weber, Anderson Peters, and Arshad Nadeem — all strong contenders for the upcoming World Championships — this performance provides Chopra with a crucial boost in confidence as he gears up for the event in Tokyo this September.