Neeraj Chopra Advances to World Championships Javelin Final with Single Throw

India's javelin superstar Neeraj Chopra once again made a powerful statement on the world stage, securing a place in the men's javelin final at the World Athletics Championships with a single emphatic throw. In fact, Chopra was the very first thrower, and after achieving qualification, he packed up his gear, confident of his spot in the final.

Competing at Tokyo's National Stadium, Chopra needed to cross the automatic qualification mark of 84.50 m to book a direct spot in the final. He did just that—and more—on his very first attempt, hurling the javelin 84.85 m, sealing his qualification without needing a second throw. After winning silver in Eugene in 2022 and upgrading to a historic gold in Budapest in 2023, the Olympic champion arrived in Tokyo as one of the marquee names of the competition.

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Defending a world title is never easy—especially in a fiercely contested event like the men's javelin. With strong challengers from Germany, the Czech Republic, and arch-rival Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan, Chopra will need to be at his best to retain his crown.

Three other Indian throwers will also compete in the qualification round: Sachin Yadav in Group A, while Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh are in Group B. Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who edged Chopra for gold at the Paris Olympics, is also part of Group B.

Athletes who surpass 84.50m automatically qualify for the final. If fewer than 12 athletes achieve this mark, the top 12 performers from the 37 throwers across both groups will advance. The men's javelin final is scheduled for Thursday, with action starting at 3:53 PM IST.

Chopra is aiming to become only the third male javelin thrower in history to defend a World Championships gold. Czech legend Jan Zelezny (1993, 1995), who is now Chopra's coach, and Johannes Vetter (2019, 2022) are the other two who have won the world championship crown on two consecutive occasions.

Chopra is set to face Nadeem for the first time since the 2024 Paris Olympics, giving him a chance to avenge his second-place finish in the French capital. Nadeem won gold in Paris with a monster throw of 92.97 m, while Chopra's best that night was 89.45 m.

Among the other 19 athletes in Group A were recently crowned Diamond League champion Julian Weber of Germany, 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago, Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, and Brazil's Luiz da Silva. Weber initially fell short with an 82.29 m throw but qualified on his second attempt with a massive 87.21 m.