Neeraj Chopra Wins Inaugural Edition Of NC Classic With Best Throw Of 86.18m
Reigning men's javelin throw world champion Neeraj Chopra dominated the NC Classic 2025, winning the event named in his honour at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Kenya's Julius Yego and 2015 world champion, logged a season's best of 84.51m with his fourth attempt to finish second. On the other hand, Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage completed the top three with a best effort of 84.34m.
Meanwhile, India's Sachin Yadav, who won a silver medal at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships was fourth with a best throw of 82.33m.
Neeraj, a two-time Olympic medallist, began with a foul before taking the lead with 82.99m with his second attempt. He momentarily lost the perch to Pathirage before regaining it with 86.18m in his third. The 27-year-old Chopra logged 84.07m and 82.22m with his final two throws but no one came close to matching his third attempt.
Neeraj Chopra shows exactly why he's a champion! Brings out his A game in the third round with a massive 86.18m, taking the lead back from Rumesh Pathirage.
The crowd is loving it! #NCClassic 2025 #GameOfThrows #CraftingVictories #NeerajChopra pic.twitter.com/QPvLFbbIgQ — Inspire Institute of Sport (@IIS_Vijayanagar) July 5, 2025
Notably, the inaugural edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic marked a historic chapter for the athletics scene in the country as the first-ever World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Level or World Athletics Category A event held in India.
The NC Classic, which was co-organised by Neeraj himself, along with JSW Sports, Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and World Athletics, featured a field of 12, including seven international stars. It was Neeraj's sixth competitive outing of the 2025 athletics season.
Neeraj started his season with a win at the Potch Invitational in South Africa before finishing second at the Doha Diamond League, where he breached the 90m barrier with a massive 90.23m throw.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist had to settle for a second-place finish again at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland. But, he returned to winning at the Paris Diamond League before clinching the top spot at the Ostrava Golden Spike last month.
The NC Classic was also Neeraj's first outing on Indian soil after winning the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar last year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
Animesh Kujur cements his status as India's fastest man with record-shattering performance in Greece
India sprinter Animesh Kujur clinched the 100m national record with a remarkable timing of 10.18 seconds. He holds the record in 200m category as well. read more India sprinter Animesh Kujur clinched the 100m national record with a remarkable timing of 10.18 seconds at the Dromia International Sprint and Relays Meeting in Greece on Saturday. The 22-year-old Kujur sprinted in the second heat of the competition and became the first-ever Indian to register a sub-10.20 second timing in 100m. He surpassed Gurinder Singh, who notched 10.20 seconds in the meet at Vari and held the earlier national record in the category. Sotirios Garagganis of Greece (10.23s) and Samuli Samuelsson (10.28s) were placed second and third respectively in the World Athletics Continental Tour silver label meet. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Also Read | India to bid for both 2029 and 2031 World Athletics Championships after successful Neeraj Chopra Classic Animesh Kujur fastest Indian in 100m Animesh Kujur now holds both the 100m and 200m national records. He finished the 200m final of the Asian Athletics Championships with a record timing of 20.32 records. He created the record in May in South Korea. Ironically, he bettered his own previous national mark of 20.40 seconds created at the Federation Cup earlier this year. Mohammed Afsal makes history for India Earlier in the day, Mohammed Afsal made history by becoming the first Indian to break the 1:45-minute barrier in the men's 800m race, setting a new national record with a time of 1:44.96 minutes at the Memorial Czeslawa Cybulskiego in Poland. In May, the 29-year-old Afsal recorded 1:45.61s and broke the seven-year-old national record, which was set by Jinson Johnson in 2018, during the UAE Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai. Afsal had finished second in the event. Securing the first three positions, Polish runners dominated the 800m race on Saturday. Maciej Wyderka finished first with a timing of 1:44.23s, It is his personal best mark as well as the meet record. Filip Ostrowski (1:44.25s) and Patryk Sieradzki (1:44.56s), finished second and third respectively and also recorded their personal bests.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Animesh Kujur's Cool Runnings mark of 10.18 seconds, comes after working with renowned bobsleigh coach Chris Wolley
In a reverse of the movie plot of Cool Runnings where Jamaican sprinters turn into a bobsled team, India's brand new 100m track sensation Animesh Kujur availed the expertise of a bobsleigh coach, ahead of his momentous dipping under the 10.2 second mark for a 10.18s national record. While Indian fans were soaking in the excellence of their greatest individual Olympian at the Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru, another historic moment was unfolding in a quiet suburb of Greece, as Kujur became the fastest Indian man. Participating in the Dromia International Sprint and Relays meet in Vari, Greece, Animesh won the second final of the men's 100m and overall clocked the third best timing behind Benjamin Richardson (South Africa) who ran in 10.01s and Ali Al Balushi (Oman) who clocked 10.12. But it was what the sprinter did in the months leading up to this breakthrough, that riffs off the famous Jamaican tale. Animesh worked on his strength and conditioning with Chris Wolley – a renowned coach of winter Olympics sport, Bobsleigh. Martin Owens, coach of Animesh at Reliance Foundation, told The Indian Express from Greece, about how the association came about. 'One thing I have realized that a lot of technical improvements happen in the gym and with the physio. We worked with Chris at the Swiss Olympic Center and it paid off. He worked on movement patterns of Animesh when he starts and how he can be more dynamic while taking initial strides,' Owens mentioned. 'The initial strides sets him up for a better race. The first couple of strides aren't always as fast as they can be but they are better mechanically for setting him up for the race. So, we have worked on those first two strides,' he explained the technical adjustment. A post shared by RF Youth Sports (@rfyouthsports) // The work done has certainly paid off as Animesh shaved off nearly 0.09 seconds from his previous personal best of 10.27s which he clocked last year in Spain. He also ran 2.27s in 200m last month at Geneve Meet, fastest ever 200m by an Indian, but the timing was not counted, due to illegal windspeed of +2.3m/s Even as they head back to Switzerland pretty knackered, coach Owens was a happy man. 'I am elated at the National record for sure. It was a long day for us and now we are flying back but the timing he clocked makes it all worth it,' Owens said, audibly exhausted. The 22-year-old comes from the tribal Ghuitangar village of Kunkuri tehsil in Jashpur district of Chhattisgarh. Kujur rewrote the previous national record of 10.20s in 100m which was clocked by Gurindervir Singh at Indian Grand Prix earlier this March 2025. Racing in the second final of the men's 100, Kujur didn't start quick but shifted gears in the final 40m and a final push near the finish line resulted in him pipping the Greek runner Sotirios Garagganis to the finish line. 'I thought he ran a great race. He didn't give away anything in the first 10 or 20 meters, held his shape through the middle of the race, and finished perfectly at the end. It is due to the competition he gets here,' Owens said. 'In India, when he gets in the top speed, he is faster than everybody else. However, here everybody was matching him and he didn't panic in the end. If he would have been in the third final (where Benjamin and Balushi raced), he would have ended with a better timing,' he explained of the pacing dynamic further. The Indian group of sprinters — Animesh Kujur, Lalu Bhoi, Manikanta Hoblidhar, Gurindervir Singh, and Jayaram Dondapati — are on a European sojourn to participate in the World Athletics continental meets and also improve their timings. 'We are looking at him and the other sprinters to go faster on this tour. It is important to have quality competitions where the participants keep pushing each other,' said Owens. Besides training with the Winter Olympian coach, another reason that resulted in Animesh going faster is the conducive environment for sprint in Greece. 'We were afraid in morning as the tailwinds were very strong and it looked like we might get a good time but won't see the national record,' Owens said. 'However, as the evening came on, the winds dropped and the red&white wind sock that indicates the wind direction was barely moving and as the timings came, it was a satisfying race overall,' he added. When asked what's next for Animesh on the European tour, Owens confirmed that he will be racing at the Monaco Diamond League in the men's U23 200m race on 11th July. 'We are heading back to Switzerland for now and will rest. Animesh will race at the Monaco Diamond League. It is the U23 race for up and coming sprinters. A good initiative which will help someone like Animesh,' Owens said. The U23 Men's 200m at the Monaco Diamond League will be part of the one day programme and serve as the pre competition race for the men's 200m which will witness the Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana in action. It will be a great chance for Animesh, who also rewrote the 200m national record twice in the year, to have shared field with the best in the world. As of the now, with both 100m and 200m national records to his, Animesh has definitely earned the right to be called the fastest man in the country.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
LeBron James makes bold player option move as Golden State Warriors rumors spark NBA buzz
LeBron James makes bold player option move as Golden State Warriors rumors spark NBA buzz (Image Source: Getty Images) Lebron James just made a big move in the NBA season as he picked up his player option for the 2025–26 season, confirming that he was returning for a 23 year in the league. But this does not mean that he is locked with the Los Angeles Lakers. Trade rumors, especially involving the Golden State Warriors, heat holding fans who guess what is going on for the NBA legend. LeBron James confirms return for 2025–26 season amid ongoing trade noise On July 6, LeBron James chose to pick up his player option for the 2025–26 NBA season, marking his 23rd year in the league. The 39-year-old forward is expected to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers for now, but his future beyond that remains open. This news was first reported by ESPN, following a direct update from Rich Paul, LeBron's longtime agent and CEO of Klutch Sports Group. Speaking to ESPN, Paul said: 'LeBron wants to compete for a championship. We know the Lakers are looking ahead to the future. We take time to consider what is best for him at this stage of his career. " This statement was wondering if Lebron could still be on the move, especially with recent talk that connected him to the Golden State Warriors. Golden State Warriors linked again after Olympic run with Stephen Curry Back in early 2024, there were reports from Sporting News that the Golden State Warriors tried to trade for LeBron James before the deadline. He stayed with the Lakers, but whispers of a possible move never really went away. After the Paris Olympics in 2024, these rumors picked up again. Lebron James and Stephen Curry both played for Team USA, helping them win gold by defeating France 98-87 in the final. Their chemistry on the court reignited talk about joining up in the NBA. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo LeBron James makes bold player option move as Golden State Warriors rumors spark NBA buzz (Image Source: Getty Images) This week, a report by The Athletic named the Warriors as a potential destination for LeBron. It pointed to the strong personal bond between Stephen Curry and LeBron James as a factor. Fans jumped into the conversation after Curry commented on one of LeBron's Instagram golf photos. In the comment section, people started speculating: 'Can't wait to see both of you suit up in the same jersey!' 'Curry to the Lakers or LeBron to the Warriors.' Also Read: Angel Reese posts heartfelt message as brother Julian Reese makes NBA Summer League debut While no deal is confirmed, these online hints have only made fans more curious. For now, LeBron is returning—but where he finishes the season could still change. 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.
