India's Annu Rani qualified for the women's Javelin Throw final at the World Athletics Championships 2022 in Oregon on Wednesday. As an Indian, she set the precedent of reaching the final twice in a row in this competition. The javelin thrower went before the finals of the 2019 Doha World Championships.
Annu Rani qualifies for the final. Image- India TV News
Annu was in Group B in the qualifying round of the World Athletics Championships 2022. Though her first throw was rejected, the 29-year-old threw 55.35 meters in the second attempt. In the last attempt, Annu threw the javelin at a distance of 59.60m. Although she reached the finals of the World Championships, she couldn't reach the finals of the Tokyo Olympics. Annu finished 14th in the qualifying round there. She threw the javelin at a distance of 54.04 meters at that time.
Annu broke her own National record by throwing the javelin at a distance of 63.82 meters at the India Open in Jamshedpur in May. She is the first Indian from Uttar Pradesh who reached the World Athletics final. Only at the age of 18, Annu participated in the Javelin competition for the first time.
"I was nervous for the last throw because I could have fouled and not made the cut, but I went ahead and made the attempt. I am not happy. I didn't do well. But I have reached the final, so I'll try to do well there,"
Annu Rani said
Annu, who claimed that her body didn't respond well enough during her attempts, was placed eighth overall among 29 athletes.
"The first throw was not good, and I fouled, the second was 55m, and then slowly the body started warming up"
She added
Haruka Kitaguchi of Japan topped the qualifying round with 64.32m. China's Liu Shiying was second (63.86m). Liveta Jasiunaite of Lithuania finished third with a throw of 63.80m. Annu will play the final on Saturday, 23rd July. Before that, Neeraj Chopra will come down on Friday morning and will enter the qualification stage.
Instagram has transformed into a vibrant platform where athletes can engage with millions of fans and followers. Sharing with us their experiences, their joys and their achievements on Instagram, these are some athletes who we may not know properly, but definitely deserve to.
In this article, we will take a look at 10 unknown Indian athletes to follow on Instagram in 2025.
Pooja Bishnoi, a 13-year-old prodigy set a new meet record in the 3,000m race at the 2024 U-19 IPSC Athletics Tournament. She’s already won gold medals in the 800m, 1500m, and 3000m, showing the world that she’s not just a fast runner, she’s a future Olympic star.
Her hard work and strong will caught the eye of the Virat Kohli Foundation, which now supports her training, food, and travel.
Pooja is also becoming popular on social media, inspiring young athletes across the country.
Simran Verma is a prolific boxer and athlete who competes in the 52 kg category. Simran has won a Bronze at the Sub-Junior National and Silver in the U-17 School Nationals. After being selected to join IIS, Simran took her game to the next level and won her first international Silver Medal at the Junior Nations’ Cup in Serbia in August 2019.
Simran continued to train and fight hard and she went on the become the National Champion in 2021. She also bagged the bronze medal in the 2021 Khelo India Youth Games. She aims to be a part of the Indian Olympic team.
In the heart of Nashik's Adgaon village, a young boy named Akash Shinde dared to dream big. Little did he know that his journey from playing in the muddy grounds of his town to becoming a PKL winner would inspire a generation of aspiring athletes.
In the PKL Season 9, Akash truly announced his arrival, becoming a formidable force on the mat. In the 22 matches that Akash played on the way to his first PKL final, he scored 139 raid points, averaging 6.32 raid point per match.
Aishwarya Mishra, one of India's top quarter-milers, has left behind the controversy of 2022 and re-established herself with strong performances at the Asian level and the National Games. The Maharashtra athlete, who was once under scrutiny for missing a dope test, has proved her abilities on the track with multiple medals and record-breaking performances.
In 2022, Mishra won gold in the women's 400m event at the Federation Cup in Kozhikode with a time of 51.18 seconds, making her the third-fastest Indian quarter-miler.
Murali Sreeshankar is an Indian athlete who competes in the long jump event. He created a national record of 8.36 metres set in 2022. He also grabbed silver medal in Asian Games 2023.
The 26 year old set to make a comeback from what many would have perceived a ‘career-ending’ injury. Murali has been out of competitions since before the Paris Olympics.
Niharika Vashisht is a national gold medalist in the triple jump. Vashisht grabbed eyeballs of everyone by beating local favourite Sandra Babu in the women’s triple jump at the National Federation Senior Athletics Championship.
A social media influencer, Niharika has quite a following on the internet. She is making prudent use of the revenue she earns from social media account by funding her own training expenses.
Having made her senior team debut in 2015, just after turning 18, the girl from Kuarmunda – a small town in Odisha – was one of the most promising youngsters when the Indian women clinched gold in the South Asian Games in 2016.
Pyari recently voted best Women's Indian Player of the Year.
Para-shooter Avani Lekhara is the first Indian woman to win two gold medals in the Para Olympic history. She is also the second Indian after javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia to win two gold medals at the Games.
Avani's journey did not stop at the Paralympics. She continued to shine in various international competitions, including the World Cups and Asian Para Games, where she consistently won medals and set new benchmarks.
An Arjuna Awardee, Ayhika Mukherjee from West Bengal has been representing India at the global stages since multiple years, having won many medals. She most recently won a historical Bronze Medal along with Sutirtha Mukherjee at the 2022 Asian Games, beating the Chinese World Champion duo in the Quarter Finals.
Having already won multiple international medals, Ayhika’s career is on an upward graph as she continues to rise the ranks and improve her play.
Teenaged Indian para-archer Sheetal Devi made history at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, clinching the bronze medal in the mixed compound archery team event alongside Rakesh Kumar. At just 17 years old, she became India’s youngest Paralympic medallist and only the second armless archer in history to win a Paralympic medal.
Neeraj Chopra finished second with a best throw of 84.14m at the Janusz Kusociński Memorial competition at Silesian Stadium in Poland on Friday.
Julian Weber finished first with an 86.12m throw.
Though the double-time Olympic medalist looked disappointed and frustrated after a few foul throws to start with, his fourth year in in top two of every tournament he participated in continued.
A few days ago, Neeraj had breached the 90m mark and registered his personal best and National record with a 90.23m throw in the Doha Diamond League. Unfortunately, even in that tournament also he finished second to Julian Weber's 91.06m throw.
Doha Diamond League 2025 LIVE Updates, Javelin Throw and athletics events Highlights and results | Neeraj Chopra finishes second despite breaking 90m mark for the first time; Parul Chaudhary breaks National record
Stay updated with the real-time LIVE updates of the Doha Diamond League 2025 as four Indian athletes, including Neeraj Chopra, Kishore Jena, Gulveer Singh and Parul Chaudhary, compete for India.
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.
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.
— Wanda Diamond League (@Diamond_League) May 16, 2025
May 16, 2025, 3:42 PM
Schedule and timing details of Indian athlete's events
Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena's men's javelin throw will start from 10.13 pm IST. Two minutes later, Gulveer Singh's Men's 5000m will start.
Parul Chaudhary's Women's 3000m steeplechase will start from 11.13 pm
Event
Indian athletes
Start time
Men's javelin throw
Neeraj Chopra, Kishore Jena
10:13 PM
Men's 5000m
Gulveer Singh
10:15 PM
Women's 3000m steeplechase
Parul Chaudhary
11:14 PM
May 16, 2025, 3:40 PM
Which Indian athletes are participating in the Doha Diamond League?
The largest Indian contingent in terms of numbers at any single Diamond League meet to date will be participating in the Doha Diamond League 2025 tonight.
Event
Indian athletes
Men's javelin throw
Neeraj Chopra, Kishore Jena
Men's 5000m
Gulveer Singh
Women's 3000m steeplechase
Parul Chaudhary
May 16, 2025, 3:39 PM
Can we watch the Doha Diamond League LIVE on Indian TV?
Unfortunately, there are no television streaming confirmed for Doha Diamond League 2025 yet.
However, you can follow our LIVE blog for all the updates.
May 16, 2025, 3:38 PM
How to follow or watch the Doha Diamond League LIVE?
Indian fans can watch Neeraj Chopra and the other three Indian athletes in action in the Doha Diamond League 2025 LIVE tonight on the Wanda Diamond League YouTube channel and Facebook page.
May 16, 2025, 3:37 PM
When and where is the event?
The Doha Diamond League 2025 will take place at Qatar’s Suheim bin Hamad Stadium on 16th to 17th May, 2025, Indian Standard Time.
Mondo Duplantis: 11 times the pole vaulter broke the World Record
Mondo Duplantis, the Swedish legendary pole vaulter, broke the men's world record for the 11th time on February 28th, 2025, at the All Star Perche event in Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, popularly known as 'Mondo' Duplantis, has broken the men's pole vaulting World Record for the 11th time, a record which he previously set himself.
The 25-year-old Swedish pole vaulter improved his own men's pole vault world record to 6.27m at the All Star Perche event in Clermont-Ferrand, France on February 28th, 2025.
MONDO DUPLANTIS BREAKS THE POLE VAULT WORLD RECORD AGAIN!
This marks the 11th time Duplantis has broken the world record in his career, first achieving it in February 2020 with a height of 6.17m.
The two-time World Champion and Olympic winner secured his victory at the All Star Perche event with a height of 6.02m. Following that, Duplantis improved the clearance that he set in August 2024, by one centimeter.
"I just felt really good. What can I say, I came here to do it. I put everything in place to do it. The run-up worked really well. I just did it," Duplantis stated to the reporters after setting the world record.
However, in this article, Sportz Point will explore all the 11 times Mono Duplantis broke the World Record.
Mondo Duplantis: 11 times the pole vaulter broke the World Record
1. 2020 - 6.17m
(Image Credit | Duplantis on X)
Back in 2014, France's legendary pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie marked the world record with a clearance of 6.16m.
The record nearly stood for six years, until the 20-year-old Mondo Duplantis broke the previous record with a 6.17m height at the Orlen Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland.
This was the first time Duplantis broke the world record, previously breaking the 10-year age group record with a jump of 3.86m in 2010.
2. 2020 - 6.18m
(Image Credit | British Athletics)
Only a week after creating the World Record in Poland, Duplantis bettered his record with a 6.18m jump at the Indoor Grand Prix in Glasgow, Scotland.
Duplantis stated the following after setting new record in Glasgow;
It’s the best little split second that could ever be,
Everything builds up to that one tiny little moment. That little free-fall is a magical moment.
Breaking his own world record in a span of 15 days, Duplantis again stunned the world in 2022.
Following his 6.19m jump in the Belgrade Indoor Meeting on 7 March 2022, Duplantis promised "something higher" in the upcoming world championship.
He kept his word in the best possible way, securing a 6.20m jump at the world indoor championships on 21 March 2022 in Belgrade, Serbia.
5. 2022 - 6.21m
(Image Credit | CNN)
Mondo Duplantis clinched his first-ever outdoor world title on 24 March 2022 at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA.
Duplantis, again improved his own record and set his third world record in 2022, soaring over 6.21m, and breaking the world record for the first time in the outdoors.
Along with this record, Duplantis also surpassed Sergey Bubka, one of the greatest pole vaulters of all-time, for career six metre-plus clearances. Bubka's 46-time record was overshadowed by Duplantis' 48 after this championship.
6. 2023 - 6.22m
(Image Credit | AFP)
On 25th February 2023, Mondo Duplantis broke his own record, clearing 6.21m to win the All Star Perche 2023 event in Clermont-Ferrand, France, where he again has broken the record in 2025.
Duplantis was congratulated by Renaud Lavillenie after the win, whose record he first broke back in 2020 and who is a co-founder of the All Star Perche event.
Duplantis broke the world record for the seventh time following his 6.23m clearance to win the 2023 Diamond League Final in Eugene on 17 September 2023.
🚨 WORLD RECORD🚨@mondohoss600 clears 6.23m at the first attempt to claim his 3rd successive #DiamondLeague title 🤯
Duplantis opened his 2024 season in style, soaring 6.24m to set the world record for outdoors at the Diamond League eventin Xiamen, China.
The Swedish pole vaulter registered the highest clearance in history to add 1cm to the record he had set in Eugene, USA in 2023.
💬"It was my first time jumping here in China, and I was really just trying to enjoy the moment. It's people that I really want to show what I can do." - Says #Duplantis after elevating his world pole vault record to a new high of 6.24m at Diamond League in Xiamen. #XiamenDLpic.twitter.com/Uqt8g3x8mb
Duplantis retained his Olympic Gold medal title in the 2024 Paris Olympics, breaking his own record to register a 6.25m clearance.
The 25-year-old became the first athlete to retain the pole vault title, since American pole vaulter Bob Richards achieved the remarkable feat in 1952 and 1956.
For the second time in his career, Mondo Duplantis shattered the world record three times in a calendar year in 2024.
Following the record he set at the Paris Olympics 2024, Duplantis bettered it by 1cm to soar over 6.26m at the Silesia Diamond League in Poland on 25 August 2024.
He also broke his world record for the third time in the outdoor season and for the tenth time in his career.
11. 2025 - 6.27m (Clermont-Ferrand, France)
(Image Credit | Reuters)
As the latest world record, Mondo Duplantis has broken the world record for a record 11th time in his career, to set a new high of 6.27m on 28 February 2025 at the All-Star Perche Event in Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Here is the moment Mondo Duplantis broke the World Record in the Pole Vault with 6.27m in France!!🤯🤯
Beatrice Chebet becomes the first woman to run 5km under 14 minutes in Barcelona
Beatrice Chebet, the double Olympic gold medallist from Paris 2024, ran 13:54 in the Cursa dels Nassos, becoming the first woman to run 5km under 14 minutes.
Beatrice Chebet, the double Olympic gold medallist from Paris 2024, ran 13:54 in the Cursa dels Nassos, Barcelona, becoming the first woman to run 5km under 14 minutes on the last day of 2024.
The distance runner from Kenya had set a record of 14:13 exactly 12 months ago in the Cursa dels Nassos. But, this time, she broke her own record as she clocked 13:54 on Tuesday (31st December).
Chebet started the run at the same time as the men's and finished only 26 seconds behind the men's winner Matthew Kipkoech, another Kenyan distance runner. Chebet finished 14th overall.
Meantime, women's runner-up 19-year-old Ethiopian Medina Eisa broke the U-20 World record by clocking a timing of 14:23.
Chebet after breaking the 10000m World Record in May, 2024. Image | Getty Images
Chebet had a stunning 2024, breaking multiple records on the track. Here are some records she broke in 2024 before breaking this record.
On 25th May, she became the first woman to run 10,000m in under 29 minutes at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. She broke the 10000m World record by clocking 28:54.
Chebet won the Olympic 5,000m gold medal in Paris, beating Faith Kipyegon to the line with a winning time of 14:28.56.
She then won the Olympic 10,000m gold medal in Paris with a time of 30:43.25
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