Neeraj Chopra could not hold on to his Diamond League title in this season's Diamond League final in Eugene. The Olympic and World Champion finished second in the Diamond League final with a best throw of 83.80m. Jakub Vadlejch, the Czech athlete won the final with a best throw of 84.24m, becoming the only person to defeat Neeraj Chopra in 2023.

Neeraj began the Diamond League final with a throw that was considered invalid. Meanwhile, Jakub Vadlejch took the lead with an 84.01m throw in his first attempt. It was clear that the conditions were difficult for all the throwers to achieve their best throws. Despite Jakub taking the lead initially, Neeraj was the first to congratulate him after his impressive 84.01m throw.

With six attempts available for all the throwers, all were expecting a great show from the current World Champion. Neeraj, in his second attempt, nearly closed the gap between him and Jakub. Neeraj finished at the number two position after the second throw with a throw of 83.80m, which remained his best in the final.

Read Also: Neeraj Chopra wins the World Athletics Championship in Javelin

In the third attempt, Oliver Healander nearly caught Neeraj with an 83.74m throw. Neeraj meanwhile threw 81.37m. Jakub fouled in this third attempt.

While Jakub Vadlejch fouled in three consecutive attempts, both Oliver and Neeraj could not close the gap for first place. Neeraj remained at number two while Oliver kept his third position intact as both of them fouled as well in their fourth attempts.

Jakub saved his best performance for his sixth and final throw, even after three fouls. He threw the javelin beyond the 84-meter mark for the second time in the final round. In his last attempt, he had an impressive throw of 84.24 meters. Not only did Jakub win the Diamond League 2023, but he also became the only athlete to surpass Neeraj Chopra's results in any tournament in 2023.

Hello and welcome to the LIVE blog of Doha Diamond League 2025, where the largest Indian contingent in terms of numbers at any single Diamond League meet to date is going to perform. 

Double Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra will take part in the men's javelin event. Kishore Jena will be the second Indian to participate in that event.

Read Also | NEERAJ CHOPRA INJURY: A SAGA OF STRAIN, TECHNIQUE, AND RECOVERY

In the men's 5000m, Gulveer Singh will compete for India. Meanwhile, Parul Chaudhary will compete in the Women's 3000m steeplechase event. 

This is Koushik Biswas, who will bring you all the LIVE updates, results and commentary of the Doha Diamond League 2025 for you. So, stay tuned and enjoy the coverage. 

Indian Olympic and World Championships gold medalist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will complete at the Ostrava Golden Spike 2025 athletics meet to be held on June 24 at Czechia. This upcoming meet, which is also a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold label event, is the 64th edition of the Ostrava Golden Spike competition.

Also Read: List of athletes to participate in Neeraj Chopra Classic

Couldn't complete last year due to injury

Earlier, Neeraj Chopra pulled himself out of the Golden Spike in 2024 due to muscle injury. However, he attended that event as a special guest. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion will be hoping that the third time’s the charm.

Neeraj started 2025 season with gold

Neeraj Chopra kicked off his 2025 season with an impressive 84.52m throw at the Potchefstroom Invitational in South Africa. His performance secured the gold medal, topping a six-man field in what is a pivotal year for World Athletics. Chopra finished well ahead of 25-year-old South African javelin thrower Douw Smit, who recorded a best throw of 82.44m. 

The Indian athlete’s personal best and the Indian men’s javelin throw national record stands at 89.94m, achieved at the 2022 Stockholm Diamond League meet.

Neeraj to compete along with his new coach

Interestingly, the Golden Spike will see Neeraj compete in his new coach Jan Zelezny’s home turf. The Czech men’s javelin throw world record holder is also involved with organising the event.

“I am excited to announce that I will be competing at Zlatá Tretra Ostrava this year. It’s a legendary meet and this edition will be extra special. My coach Jan Zelezny not only won there many times but is also the director of the event,” Neeraj Chopra said.

“I am feeling great and hope you will see some really nice and long throws. I look forward to meeting you all,” he added.

Also Read: Khelo India Youth Games 2025 Full Schedule

Neeraj opted out of the Asian Athletics Championships

Before heading to Ostrava, Neeraj Chopra will be seen in action at the Doha Diamond League on May 16 and the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru on May 24.

The Indian athlete has already opted out of the Asian Athletics Championships, which will be held in Gumi, the Republic of Korea, from May 27 to 31.

The Neeraj Chopra Classic competition is increasing interest with each passing day, as the competition will be held on May 24. Some of the world’s best athletes in javelin throw will take part in the event. 

The Neeraj Chopra Classic is co-organised by Neeraj Chopra, JSW Sports, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and World Athletics (WA). It is classified as a WA ‘A’ category or Continental Tour Gold-level meet, and will be the highest-tier international athletics event ever hosted in India to date.

Also Read: Khelo India Youth Games 2025 Full Schedule

Neeraj Chopra, the Tokyo 2020 gold medallist and reigning world champion, is expected to headline the meet named in his honour. Several big names in the sport are also set to take part in the event at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.

International contenders of Neeraj Chopra Classic 

Two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist Thomas Rohler of Germany, and Kenya’s Julius Yego – the 2015 world champion and Rio 2016 silver medallist – are among the top international contenders in the list. 

The line-up also includes Pan American Games champion Curtis Thompson of the USA who is the current world leader. Japan’s Genki Dean, Brazil’s Luiz Mauricio da Silva and Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage are the other stars on the list.

However, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, the reigning Olympic champion, will be missing from the event. While he was invited, he opted out of the competition to focus on the upcoming Asian Athletics Championships in the Republic of Korea.

Indian contenders of Neeraj Chopra Classic

Sachin Yadav, Rohit Yadav, and Sahil Silwal will be the Indian javelin throwers participating in thetournament. Meanwhile, Asian Games silver medallist and Olympian, Kishore Jena became the latest addition to the Indian line-up.

List of Athletes of Neeraj Chopra Classic

• Neeraj Chopra (India)
• Anderson Peters (Grenada)
• Thomas Rohler (Germany)
• Julius Yego (Kenya)
• Curtis Thompson (USA)
• Genki Dean (Japan)
• Luiz Mauricio da Silva (Brazil)
• Rumesh Pathirage (Sri Lanka)
• Sachin Yadav (India)
• Rohit Yadav (India)
• Sahil Silwal (India)
• Kishore Jena (India)

Two-time Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra has announced the beginning of an exciting new chapter in his career. Neeraj on Saturday announced the appointment of great javelin thrower Jan Zelezny as his new coach.

Also Read: NEERAJ CHOPRA INJURY: A SAGA OF STRAIN, TECHNIQUE, AND RECOVERY

Jan Zelezny, a three-time Olympic and world champion and current world record holder, has long been Chopra's idol. Actually, Neeraj Chopra was working with German coach Klaus Bartonietz till now, but Klaus has recently retired from coaching.

Announcing the new coach, Neeraj said, “Growing up, I admired Jan’s technique and precision and spent a lot of time watching videos of him. He was the best in the sport for so many years, and I believe that working with him will be invaluable because our throwing styles are similar, and his knowledge is unmatched. It’s an honour to have Jan by my side as I push towards the next level in my career, and I can’t wait to get started,” 

Chopra didn't breach 90m mark

Chopra, 26, won a historic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and silver at the Paris Olympics 2024, as well as two world championships medals, silver at the 2022 Eugene edition and gold at the 2023 Budapest. However, over the past few years, Chopra has expressed his desire to breach the 90m mark. His alliance with Bartonietz after Paris, where Chopra again failed to hit the 90m mark while Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won gold with an Olympic record 92.97m.

Also Read: Neeraj Chopra’s best throws: Here are all the top throws by javelin ace Neeraj Chopra

Under Zelezny's guidance, Neeraj will try to take his success to a different level. On this occasion, Jan Zelezny said, “I have already spoken about Neeraj as a great talent many years ago. When I saw him early in his career, I realised great possibilities for top results. I also said that if I should start to coach somebody from outside Czechia, my first choice would be Neeraj. I like his story and I see big potential, as he is young and able to improve."

Zelezny broke WR on four occasions

Jan Zelezny, a gold medalist at the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Olympic Games, has five of the top ten best throws of all time. In 1996, he set a world record in Germany with a throw of 98.48m. He broke the world record on four occasions.

When Chopra won gold at the Tokyo 2020, Zelezny was the coach of both other medalists Jakub Vadlejch (silver) and Vítězslav Veselý (bronze).. He has also coached two-time Olympic champion and three-time world champion Barbora Špotáková.

The art of javelin throw is a perfect balance of both technique and power. And Neeraj Chopra, who relies mostly on technique, is struggling due to his recurring groin injury With a jam-packed schedule since the last year, he "ignored" the pain, for the sake of participation. However, with a clear window till mid-2025, it is high time for the 2024 Paris Olympics Silver medallist to undergo the required treatment. Additionally, he fractured his hand while practising, during the Brussels Diamond League, thus calling off, for this year, at least.

The Groin Injury: An Unseen Strain Troubling Neeraj Chopra

In 2018, Neeraj Chopra got an inury in his erector muscles which was healed. However, it has resurfaced since last year, at Bhubaneshwar, at the middle of June.

Chopra's physio Ishan Marwah, has been monitoring him closely. he explained the injury in Layman terms- the erector muscles are directly connected to the pelvic bones. Thus the injury is giving strain to the muscles, hampering his normal run up, followed by this throw.

In the most ideal situation, Neeraj would like to increase the speed of his run- up. This needs quicker movement of his right leg and hips. However, the strain is preventing him from doing so, leading to a compromised throwing technique. His block leg, i.e., the left leg, is crucial for delivering power in the final phase of the throw. But with the injury lingering, he’s unable to fully complete that movement. What looks like his signature fall after each throw, is nothing but a visual representation of his technical failures.

Technical Hurdles: The Cascade Effect

As mentioned earlier, javelin is a highly technical sport. The body needs to be in motion and in absolute sync. Neeraj Chopra suffering from groin injury has led to a cascading effect on his entire throwing mechanism. As Ishan explained to multiple sources, his right leg is not performing in the required way. Thus, Chopra falls more on his left, bending it slightly, which is, ideally not good for a powerful throw.

The rule books say, the perfect projectile will get the spear fall centrally or slightly to the right. However, in Chopra’s case, the javelin is turning to the left due to him falling leftward at the end of his throw. This is the major flaw he is having due to the injury.

In the last few outings, Chopra hasn’t been in his signature best form. He has an initial season best in the Olympics Qualifier itself with an impressive throw of at 89.34. He sealed the Olympics silver with 89.49 meters in the finals.

However, his signature "roar" was vividly missing.

Read also: Neeraj Chopra’s best throws: Here are all the top throws by javelin ace Neeraj Chopra

The Chicken and Egg Situation: Neeraj Chopra Sandwiched between Injury and Technique

The groin injury has got Neeraj Chopra in a vicious cycle. The injury is hampering his daily practice routine. As per Marwah, Neeraj earlier has to have 2 to 3 sessions of practice each week. Each session has 35 to 40 throws. With the injury becoming a growing concern, Neeraj had to reduce the no of sessions, each having around 20 throws. Lack of practice is affecting his technique, which is directly causing more strain. Again, Ishan clarified that adequate training is the way to cure the strain. 

Neeraj, Unlike Arshad Nadeem or the Germans, has depended more on technique and not power. He has his shoulder flexibility as his biggest pros, but with the injury in the scene, things got hampered.

However, Marwah is optimistic, hoping that proper medical advice and rehabilitation will fully recover Chopra. The latter is having the right shape, and with proper rehabilitation, he can aim to add an extra 3 to 4 meters to his throw. However, that requires adequate rest, and avoiding risks, which calls for skipping certain competitions.

Neeraj Chopra signs off for 2024, with hand injury

Soon after the Brussels Diamond League, Neeraj Chopra took to his social media handle to inform about his hand injury. He informed, that he had fractured the fourth metacarpal in his left hand during practice. He thus, is calling off his professional participation, for this year. Despite this, Chopra sealed a second position, that too by missing the 24-carat Diamond, by just a centimetre (87.86 m).

As the 2024 season ends, I look back on everything I’ve learned through the year - about improvement, setbacks, mentality and more.

On Monday, I injured myself in practice and x-rays showed that I had fractured the fourth metacarpal in my left hand. It was another painful… pic.twitter.com/H8nRkUkaNM

— Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) September 15, 2024

What the future calls

A gold in the Tokyo Olympics has raised the expectations bar to such a level, that whiskers feel like major losses. The present air is more concerned about him touching the magic 90 m Mark, more than him recovering. 

With the groin injury being a major issue, the fracture has gotten Neeraj Chopra an “added advantage” to pull off the curtain for now. As the javelin world awaits to see what comes next for him, one thing is certain: his determination, resilience, and unmatched focus will continue to push him forward. At days, it should be recovery, more than crossing 90 meters on the court.