Neeraj Chopra's 90m throw video: India's most celebrated athlete finally achieves his dream; Watch clip here
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India's golden boy, Neeraj Chopra , has finally done what fans and pundits have been waiting years to witness—he's broken the fabled 90-metre barrier in javelin throw. At the 2025 Doha Diamond League, two-time Olympic medallist Chopra hurled his javelin to a stunning distance of 90.23 meters on his third attempt, instantly taking the lead and electrifying the atmosphere in the stadium.The 90m distance wasn't just about numbers. For years, the 90m mark had become a symbolic mountain for Chopra—a distance he came close to several times, often finishing just short with throws in the high 88s and 89s.The 27-year-old double Olympic medallist sent his spear 90.23m in his third attempt to join a list of javelin throwers, led by his current coach Jan Zelezny of Czechia, who had recorded 90m-plus efforts. Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem (92.97m) of Pakistan and Chao-Tsun Cheng (91.36m) of Chinese Taipei are the two other Asians to have breached the coveted mark.The celebrated javelin thrower commenced the tournament with a powerful throw of 88.4m in first round, allowing him to stand at the top.Neeraj has had a successful career with the Qatar Sports Club, placing second in the Diamond League's Doha leg in 2024 and winning in 2023. For the past few years, Neeraj has also started his athletic season at the Doha competition.Chopra, who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics and then a silver at the 2024 Paris Games, first competed in the Doha DL in 2018 when he finished fourth with a best throw of 87.43m.After winning gold in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, he took the title in 2023 (88.67m) and finished second in 2024 (88.36m). He will be looking to regain the Doha DL title.Chopra is also set to compete at the Golden Spike 2025 athletics meet in Ostrava, Czechia on June 24, hoping to be third time lucky after pulling out of the last two editions due to injuries.The Doha leg is the third of the DL series and the first in which men's javelin is on the roster.The Wanda Diamond League is an elite one-day meeting series in global athletics. It comprises 15 of the most prestigious events in global track and field.Athletes compete for points at the 14 series meetings in a bid to qualify for the two-day DL Finale, which will be held in Zurich on August 27 and 28 this year.
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Indian Express
2 minutes ago
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Neeraj Chopra reveals an early injury that almost ended his career
Double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra opened up about how an injury early in his career almost ended his journey of Javelin before it even began. Talking in a fireside chat with Students of language learning app Duolingo, Neeraj revealed that he injured his wrist early in his career. However, the injury wasn't during training but while playing around on a basketball court. 'I suffered an injury very early in my career. It was not during my training but while I was doing some mischeif. So, I was holding the basketball ring while jumping and fell suddenly. My wrist was fractured, and it had to be in plaster for a long time. It was the same hand that I used to throw the javelin,' he said. A post shared by @studyabroadwithdet The doctors said that the injury was complicated and he might not be able to throw again jeopardising his career. 'I felt that I won't be able to throw againas doctors said that it is a complicated injury,' said Neeraj. However, the dream of playing for India and representing the country at a global stage kept the hunger alive inside Neeraj. 'It was thought but the dream of playing for India kept me soon as I started feeling better, I knew I had to do it again. It was my dream that kept my mindset strong,' he said. Neeraj propelled to global fame when he broke the U20 Javelin World Record with a 86.43m at the 2016 U20 World Championships. After dominating at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games in 2018, Neeraj cemented his place as one of the greatest India athletes after winning the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo. He became the second Indian to win the Olympic individual gold after Abhinav Bindra. He followed it up with World Championships silver medal in 2022, World title in 2023, multiple Diamond League titles and another medal at 2024 Paris Olympics.
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