Neeraj Chopra’s title defence at the World Athletics Championships 2025 ended in sheer disappointment as the defending champion finished eighth in the men’s javelin final at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo, the same venue where he had scripted history by winning the Olympic gold in 2021. The 27-year-old, who had raised hopes of back-to-back world titles, struggled to find his rhythm on the night, with his best attempt being a mere 84.03m throw that left him eighth overall.
While he showed no signs of physical discomfort, Chopra failed to breach the 85m mark across his six attempts, growing visibly frustrated with every throw as his crown slipped away in a highly competitive field.
Chopra’s eighth-place finish marked the end of one of the most indomitable streaks of consistency in modern athletics. Since June 2021, when he finished third at the Kourtane Games, the Indian star was never placed outside the top two in any competition. The exceptional run spanned four years and 26 consecutive competitions, establishing him as the most reliable big-stage performer in javelin throw.
But on Wednesday, the streak ended. Chopra’s struggles peaked with his fifth attempt, where he overstepped on release and tumbled over the line, nullifying his throw and ending any realistic hopes of climbing into medal contention.
The failure to make it through the next round of the final added more to the disappointment, as the Indian, often the picture of composure and dominance, cut a frustrated figure under the lights of the Olympic Stadium where he once ruled the world.
What made it even rarer was that Chopra wasn’t even India’s best performer in the discipline on the night. Sachin Yadav, with a brilliant first-attempt throw of 86.27m, finished fourth to outshine the former Olympic champion. In the previous edition in Budapest in 2023, India had three javelin throwers in the final, with Kishore Jena and DP Manu finishing fifth and sixth respectively, while Chopra clinched the historic gold.
Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago, who finished top of the podium in the London Olympics 13 years back, grabbed his maiden World Championships medal as he clinched the gold with his best throw of 88.16m, which came in his fourth try, while two-time world champion Anderson Peters (87.38m) finished second and USA’s Curtis Thompson (86.67m) took the bronze medal.
