World Athletics Championships Day 6 had everyone’s eyes on the men’s javelin final, where the Defending Champion Neeraj Chopra, who is a two-time Olympic medallist, was all geared up to bring home the gold medal. However, despite his personal best of 89.94 metres and multiple international titles to his name, he was not able to go past the 85 m mark despite his five attempts and could not match the top contenders. He had maintained a best of 84.03 m after three rounds.
Performance that did not hit the mark
The 27-year-old was eighth after his fourth throw and had to exit the competition without qualifying for the final three rounds, in the second round itself at 84.03 metres, which did not land correctly. The results came out, and Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago (won gold at this season’s best at 86.16 metres ), followed by Grenada’s Anderson Peter (silver at 87.38 metres ), and Curtis Thompson from the USA took home the bronze medal with an impressive 86.6 metres.
Neeraj Chopra’s early exit means that India will return empty-handed in the men’s javelin, even in this year’s championship, which is disappointing for the fans who were excited to see him win and were stunned by the results on this crucial day. However, everyone, including Neeraj Chopra, was left disappointed as his throw lacked both distance and precision.
What went wrong for Neeraj
Even though no official statement has been made by him or his team of coaches yet, it was apparent that he was not at the peak of his physical or mental performance during the final. His timing appeared off, and his approach had signs of discomfort.
He himself appeared highly disappointed after being eliminated from the competition. In Tokyo, he unfortunately failed to live up to his potential and looked visibly frustrated with his attempts.
Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who last year won a gold medal in the Paris 2024 Olympics, also finished in tenth position with 82.75m, and Julian Weber from Germany secured fifth place with 86.11 m.
A Promise of young talent
Not all is wrong, despite this disappointment and the gloomy feeling and Neeraj Chopra’s early exit, there is still hope for Indian Athletics; India still had a 21-year-old debutant who finished at fourth position in the same event, leaving India with a silver lining. Sachin Yadav, stunned at his personal best of 84.98 metres.
Despite this setback and a disheartening outcome, Neeraj Chopra remains one of the most accomplished athletes in the history of sports in India and one bad performance does not write anything off for him and everyone including his fans expect to see him back in the filed with renewed focus and with the Asian Games and Paris 2026 Olympics just around the corner, it will provide Neeraj Chopra with a fresh opportunity to gain back his winner title.
Today’s Disappointment, but more opportunities ahead
For today, though, the day 6 of World Athletics Championships 2025 will be thought of as the day of missed chances for Neeraj Chopra and at the same time, a new beginning for the new rising stars of men’s javelin. Just one faltered performance and a composure which seemed a little shaken has surely left his supporters a little shaken and disappointed, but then again this is a part of any athlete’s life.
There remains a promise of a new era for the Indian Javelin throw, regardless of what happened today at the World Athletics Championship, 2025.
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