Neeraj Chopra Achieves Historic 90-Metre Throw at Doha Diamond League

In a thrilling display of athletic prowess, Neeraj Chopra achieved a historic milestone by throwing over 90 metres at the Doha Diamond League. This remarkable feat not only set a new national record but also placed him among the elite athletes in javelin history. Despite finishing second to Germany's Julian Weber, Chopra expressed his excitement about breaking the 90-metre barrier and his confidence for future competitions. With his coach Jan Zelezny by his side, Chopra is poised for even greater achievements in the upcoming season. Read on to discover more about this incredible event and Chopra's journey.

By Narendra Chaudhary May 17, 2025, 09:23 IST

Neeraj Chopra's Remarkable Performance

Doha [Qatar], May 17: Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra secured the second position at the Doha Diamond League 2025, marking a significant milestone by surpassing the 90-metre barrier for the first time on Friday.

Chopra, a two-time Olympic medalist, kicked off the event with an impressive throw of 88.44m, which was the best in the world at that moment. After a foul on his second attempt, he delivered an outstanding throw of 90.23m on his third try, establishing a new national record. His previous record stood at 89.94m, achieved during the Stockholm Diamond League two years ago. Neeraj had previously recorded six throws over 89m but had yet to reach the coveted 90m mark.

"It's a bit of a bittersweet outcome," Neeraj expressed, as reported by a sports media outlet. "While I'm thrilled about hitting the 90m mark, finishing second is a familiar feeling for me, as I experienced similar results in Turku and Stockholm. I broke the national record again but still ended up second," he added.

Currently, Neeraj is training under the guidance of Jan Zelezny, the legendary Czech javelin thrower and world record holder (98.48m, set in 1996). Zelezny is renowned as one of the greatest in the sport, holding five of the top ten throws in javelin history.

"Having Jan Zelezny as my coach is a great feeling," Neeraj stated. "We are still refining some techniques and learning new things. Normally, he doesn't attend Diamond League events, but he joined me today because he believed this was the day to achieve 90m," he noted.

With this achievement, Neeraj became the 25th athlete in history to throw over 90m in men's javelin. His throw ranks as the third-best by an Asian, following Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem (92.97m) and Chao-Tsun Cheng from Chinese Taipei (91.36m).

Despite Neeraj's remarkable performance, Germany's Julian Weber clinched victory with a personal best of 91.06m on his final attempt. Grenada's Anderson Peters, the 2022 world champion who narrowly defeated Neeraj in Doha last year, finished third this time with a throw of 85.64m.

"I'm also very happy for Julian Weber," Neeraj remarked. "He threw 91m, and we both broke the 90m barrier today. We've been striving for this for years, and it's finally happened for both of us," he added.

"This was just the first competition of the year, so I'm optimistic about my performance in upcoming events. I felt confident today and anticipated that Julian would deliver a significant throw, given his consistency," he noted.

"I told him that today was the day for both of us to break the 90m mark. It's a motivating boost for us, and I believe we will continue to excel in future competitions," Chopra concluded.

India's Kishore Jena finished eighth with a best throw of 78.60m, marking his second appearance in a Diamond League event after placing ninth in Doha last year.