Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra reaffirmed his dominance in the men’s javelin throw by winning the inaugural edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic, a new athletics meet named in his honour, held at the Sri Kanteerava Outdoor Stadium on Saturday. In front of an energetic home crowd, Chopra secured victory with a best throw of 86.18 metres.
𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗝 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗣𝗥𝗔 🥇🏆
First-ever Champion of the first ever #NeerajChopraClassic 🙌
Take a bow, Champ. 🙇♂️#JavelinThrow #GameOfThrows pic.twitter.com/dyDjmZfS4Q
— Neeraj Chopra Classic (@nc_classic) July 5, 2025
The event marked a special moment in Indian athletics, bringing together top international talent to compete in a tournament celebrating the nation’s most celebrated javelin thrower. Despite facing strong competition, Chopra rose to the occasion, delivering a winning throw on his third attempt after briefly trailing behind Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage.
Kenya’s Julius Yego, the 2015 World Champion often called ‘Mr YouTube’ for his self-taught journey in the sport, finished second with a season-best effort of 84.51 metres. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage clinched third place, recording a personal best of 84.34 metres.
The competition had its share of dramatic moments. Chopra opened with a foul but quickly found his rhythm, launching a solid 82.99m throw to take the early lead. Pathirage temporarily overtook him with his second throw, forcing Chopra to dig deep. Rising to the challenge, the 27-year-old unleashed his best effort of the day, reclaiming the top spot and electrifying the packed stadium.
The event also saw India’s emerging talents make their mark. Sahil Silwal opened the competition with an inspired 77.48m, while Rohit Yadav, a World Championship finalist, logged 77.11m. Yashvir Singh and Sachin Yadav put up valiant efforts, but couldn’t break into the top three.
Among the international competitors, Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist Thomas Röhler of Germany struggled to find his form and exited the competition early with a modest best of 75.85m.
Though Neeraj did not surpass the 90m barrier on this occasion, his victory extended his remarkable streak of podium finishes. He has consistently finished in the top two in all competitions since June 2021.
