NC Classic: A test for Neeraj Chopra to control monster throws and a dress rehearsal before the Worlds
Back in March 2021, when Neeraj threw that distance at the Indian Grand Prix 3 meet in Patiala, he broke his own national record in the process.
Since then, Neeraj has pushed his and India's javelin boundaries so far that his best effort in his homeland doesn't even feature in his top 10 throws.
In a glittering career like that of Neeraj's, it is an ever-so-insignificant anomaly.
But, on Saturday in Bengaluru, the 27-year-old will have the perfect stage to fix that glitch, at the first-ever Neeraj Chopra Classic, an event co-hosted by himself, set to be the biggest international athletics meet to be hosted by India.
But Neeraj was quick to douse expectations of some massive throws from him.
'We will see a good competition. It's a new experience for me and all of you. I would like to say that you don't look at the results and just enjoy the competition. Don't expect too many long throws. Let's just see how much fun it will be,' said Neeraj on Friday during a press meet.
A major factor for Neeraj toning down his targets is his preparation run for the World Athletics Championships, set to happen in September.
'Of course, tomorrow's competition is very important, and after that, we will start preparing for the World Championships,' mentioned Neeraj.
It also doesn't help that the defending world champion had two back-to-back meets in Paris and Ostrava before he arrived in Bengaluru, where he was swamped by the NC Classic's organisational workload.
Nevertheless, Neeraj's competitors are ready to push him to up the ante.
'I'm coming back slowly from a few injuries and. I am almost 90 per cent of my fitness is okay. If I can throw over 85 meters, it will be a good show. And of course, we're trying to challenge him [Neeraj] to throw another 90 meters,' said Julius Yego.
Yego, who claimed the World Championship in 2015, has a reason to harp on the 90-metre point, despite Neeraj's underplaying words.
Of the 26 javelin throwers to have crossed the hallowed 90m mark, only 10 haven't done it in their own home country. This includes Yego and Neeraj.
Among all the 129 recorded javelin throws of 90m or over, 35 have been achieved by an athlete in his home country. This is a substantial amount, considering the global spread of athletics events, indicating the not-so-subtle influence of home advantage on an athlete's performance.
Neeraj has made himself scarce in his home territory: NC Classic will only be his second competition appearance in India after his gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
At the Federation Cup in Bhubaneshwar in 2024, Neeraj secured the title with 82.27m, a below-par figure by his astronomical standards. It was a preservation throw of sorts, as he had the 2024 Olympics coming up on his horizon.
On Saturday, in front of a crowd he toiled to bring together, Neeraj will have to dig deep into his mental resolve to prevent himself from unleashing one of his monster throws.
For once, Indian fans will hope for his determination to falter.
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India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025, Live Streaming: Date, time, when and where to watch India's historic Javelin event?
Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 press conference in Bengaluru. (PIC - PTI) New Delhi: The Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 event is starting from July 5 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. This is India's first international javelin throw competition. The event was earlier scheduled to be held at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula, which is in Neeraj's home state of Haryana. But due to problems with floodlights there, the event was shifted to Bengaluru. Let us tell you about the complete schedule and other important things of this tournament. When and where will the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 event take place? The Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 event will start from July 5 at 7 pm Indian time. This tournament will be played at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. Where will the live telecast and live streaming of the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 event be? The live telecast of this event will be on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports Hindi. Not only this, its live stream will be available on the Jio Hotstar app and website. What is the ticket price? Fans can buy tickets for the Neeraj Chopra Classic from the district website Zomato for Rs 299 to Rs 9,999. Who all are participating? List of international players Thomas Rohler of Germany – 2016 Olympic champion. His personal best is 93.90 metres. Julius Yego of Kenya – 2015 World Champion and 2016 Olympic silver medalist. His personal best is 92.72 metres. Curtis Thompson of USA – Pan American Games champion (2023) with a personal best of 87.76 metres. Martin Konecny of Czech Republic – Personal best record of 80.59 metres. Luis Mauricio da Silva of Brazil – His personal best is 86.62 metres. Rumesh Pathirage of Sri Lanka – His personal best is 85.45 metres. Cyprian Mrzyglod of Poland – European Under 23 champion (2019). His personal best is 85.92 metres, which he set this year in Kuorten, Finland. Who are the Indian players? Neeraj Chopra – First Indian track and field athlete to win an Olympic gold medal, World Champion. His personal best is 90.23m. Sachin Yadav – Asian Championship silver medallist. He also won gold medals at the Federation Cup and National Games this year. His personal best is 85.16m. Rohit Yadav – He won the silver medal at the 2025 National Games with 80.47m. His personal best is 83.40m achieved in 2023. Sahil Silwal – His personal best is 81.81m, which he achieved from his gold medal-winning performance at last year's National Inter-State Championships. Yashveer Singh – His personal best is 82.57m, which he achieved at the 2025 Asian Championships in Gumi, Korea.
India Today
2 hours ago
- India Today
NC Classic: How rare is a 90m throw and can Neeraj Chopra do it at home?
When the host of Friday's press conference for the Neeraj Chopra Classic addressed the large media contingent in Bengaluru, he made a cheeky remark: 'At last, there will be no questions about 90m to Neeraj, I believe.' It was a reference to Neeraj finally getting the monkey off his back earlier this year, recording his first-ever 90m throw at the Doha Diamond League: a magical 90.23m, ending one of the longest-running chases in world even if no one said it out loud, at least a few in the room were surely thinking: 'Neeraj, will we see another 90m - this time, at home?' The press conference largely focused on the significance of the Neeraj Chopra Classic, India's first-ever top-tier international javelin event, organised by the Olympic and world champion himself. Neeraj was joined on the dais by fellow Olympic medallists Thomas Rhler and Julius Yego, along with young Sachin Yadav, touted as the next big hope in Indian NC Classic is already shaping up to be a landmark event - not just for Indian athletics, but for the global javelin community. It signals a shift from a Europe-centric tradition to a broader international expansion. 'I feel like I'm in a dream,' Neeraj said, reflecting on the occasion's significance. The mood in the room echoed that sentiment. Rhler, the 2016 Olympic champion from Germany, spoke passionately about the responsibility senior athletes have to give back and help discover new talent in emerging countries. Yego, the 2015 world champion, said he didn't hesitate to accept Neeraj's invitation, highlighting the similarities between their journeys: his rise in long-distance obsessed Kenya, and Neeraj's emergence from cricket-mad India, both breaking the mould in their respective for Sachin, one of four young Indians in the 12-man field, the atmosphere was surreal. Sharing the stage with three Olympic medallists, he looked both star-struck and excited about the opportunity to compete in a meet that is expected to become an annual fixture on the World Athletics now finds himself wearing a new hat - that of an organiser. It's been a hectic week for him, filled with meetings with political leaders, sponsors and sports administrators, all geared towards making the Neeraj Chopra Classic a success story and a long-standing SPECIAL IN BENGALURU?But while the athlete in him has been juggling duties, he remains serious about his own competition on Saturday. The Bengaluru meet at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium will be his sixth of the year in what has already been a packed 2025 season. In June alone, Neeraj featured in two events, with everything building towards the World Championships in Tokyo this athlete in me is always up for the competition," he said. "That's why I'm trying to manage everything. My team is also handling a lot, but I'm training hard. After doing everything, I train. I did throw sessions too - so yes, I've got the mindset for this competition."Even on Friday evening, Neeraj made time for a long session at the venue after his media duties were done. Under the watchful eye of legendary coach Jan elezn, he sent the javelin soaring into the dusky Bengaluru the big question again: Can Neeraj throw 90 metres?Given his busy schedule and reduced training time in the lead-up to the NC Classic, it may not happen in Bengaluru — but make no mistake, he'll be going all to Julius Yego suggested that Bengaluru's weather — mild and breezy — could actually be conducive to big it's worth reiterating that the 90m question, while enticing, can be problematic. The pressure to hit that mark — and then to repeat it — is since Neeraj stunned the world with an 86.48m throw as a teenager at the U20 World Championships in 2016, that 90m question has followed him. The noise only grew louder when Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem hurled 92.97m in the Paris Olympics final, setting a new Olympic record. Neeraj gave it everything that day and still walked away with 89.45m and silver. He finally breached the mark in May this a 90m throw is a rarity — it's like a triple hundred in cricket.'Any 90m throw has a huge impact on the body. Once you have thrown 90m, the next thing you have to do is rest because the impact is very high,' Thomas Rohler, the owner of seven-plus 90m throws said on Friday.'Those watching need to understand that we have one ton of weight impact on the block foot, which is the weight of a small car. This is javelin throw. This is not yoga. It's really tough. Neeraj Chopra trains in Bengaluru. (Courtesy: PTI) advertisement'This is the impact and we have to train for impact and technique. Doing it again and again is a mental challenge and it's about dealing with the pressure from the outside. And as soon as you have thrown 90m, we all mess up with expectations.'Look at 2012, the Olympic gold was won by throwing 84m. Now people expect you to throw 90m. If you don't, people ask you 'was it a bad day?'. We need to see the percentage of people who throw over 90m: it's very small.'HOW RARE IS A 90M THROW?Statistically, 90m throws are exceptional. According to World Athletics data, among the top 8001 men's javelin distances since the 1986 redesign, only 129 have gone beyond 90m — that's just 1.61%.Total throws recorded: 8001Throws over 90m: 129Percentage: 1.61%elezn's 90m+ throws: 34 (all-time leader)Rhler's 90m+ throws: 7Neeraj's 90m+ throws: 1 (Doha, 2025)It brings us to a key piece of history. In 1984, East Germany's Uwe Hohn threw an absurd 104.86m — a mark that created panic in the sport. Two years later, in April 1986, the men's javelin was redesigned to bring distances down. The centre of gravity was shifted forward by 4cm, the tip was made blunter, and the tail section was adjusted to increase drag. These changes reduced throws by roughly 10% on average and brought the sport back under control. Jan elezn's 98.48m in 1996 remains the world record with the redesigned main reason the Technical Committee decided to change the rules for javelin construction was because of the increasingly frequent flat landings and the resulting discussions and protests because of attempts declared valid or invalid by competition judges,' according to World called them 'magical' for a reason. 'We should appreciate every one of those moments. There are very few chances in life to achieve it or to witness it,' he to today. Neeraj's best on Indian soil is 88.07m, achieved in Patiala in 2021. Can he go further in Bengaluru?With the Bengaluru crowd behind him and the energy of a meet built in his name, there's every reason to hope. Could the home crowd egg Neeraj on to double his count of the 90m biggie?If he does, if the Sree Kanteerava crowd witnesses a 90m throw on Saturday, it will be a moment for the ages. A perfect cherry on top of an already historic occasion.- EndsMust Watch
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025: Date, Time, Live Streaming – All You Need to Know
Neeraj Chopra (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: Indian athletics is set to witness a landmark moment on Saturday, July 5, as Olympic and World Champion Neeraj Chopra headlines the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Level event. Held at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, the competition marks the first time India is hosting a top-tier international athletics meet, placing it alongside global destinations like Doha, Paris, and Nairobi. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Named after India's golden boy of javelin, the NC Classic is co-organised by Neeraj himself, in collaboration with JSW Sports, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), and World Athletics. It will bring together some of the biggest names in javelin throwing for a blockbuster showdown in front of a home crowd. Here's everything you need to know: When and where is the NC Classic 2025 being held? The Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 will take place on Saturday, July 5, at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, Karnataka. What time does Neeraj Chopra compete? The men's javelin throw event — featuring Neeraj Chopra — begins at 7:00 PM IST. Where can I watch the NC Classic 2025 live? Live Streaming: Available on JioHotstar (app & website) and World Athletics' official website (free global stream). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Esse novo alarme com câmera é quase gratuito em Rio Do Sul (consulte o preço) Alarmes Undo TV Telecast: Catch it on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD. Hindi Broadcast: Tune in to Star Sports 1 Hindi for commentary in Hindi. Who are the top athletes competing? Alongside Neeraj Chopra, the field includes: Thomas Röhler (GER) – Olympic Champion Julius Yego (KEN) – World Champion Curtis Thompson (USA) Cyprian Mrzyglód (POL) Indian talents: Sachin Yadav, Rohit Yadav, Sahil Silwal, and Yash Vir Singh What's at stake for Neeraj Chopra? The NC Classic is Neeraj's sixth competition of the season and a crucial stop in his build-up to the World Championships in Tokyo. He enters the meet on a two-event winning streak and recently set a new national record of 90.23m in Doha. What else can fans expect at the event? The NC Classic isn't just about sport. There will be pre-event musical performances by artists like Haryana rapper Dhanda Nyoliwala. Also, Neeraj's coach Jan Zelezny — the javelin world record holder — will be felicitated, and Chopra's family will be in attendance. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
