Had things gone as planned, Neeraj Chopra would have been in India this weekend, celebrating the coming together of a dream he had to bring the top javelin throwers in the world to his own backyard. The NC Classic – an invitational men’s javelin throw named after the Tokyo gold medallist himself – was originally scheduled to be held at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on May 24, and a day ahead of it, he’d have been the center of attention in a first-of-its-kind event in India. However, after the event had to be postponed due to the recent India-Pakistan conflict, Neeraj found himself in chilly Chorzów, Poland at the Silesian Stadium, in conditions not ideal for javelin. And for a majority of the night, he struggled to come up with that one big throw, seemingly set to finish outside the top-two for the first time since June 2021.
In the end, though, the Tokyo Olympic champion came up with a solid throw of 84.14m with his sixth and final attempt, and pipped two-time former World Champion Anderson Peters at the finishing line, and sealed his second spot at the 71st Janusz Kusociński Memorial. It meant that June 2021 – Kuortane Games in Finland – remains the last time Neeraj has finished outside second place, the run now extending to 25 (including qualification rounds).
The day belonged to Julian Weber, the German once again laying down the marker for the 2025 season as he threw past 80m with all his six attempts, the only athlete to cross 85m, and he did so thrice. Weber’s 86.12m with his second attempt was the best of the night. Grenada’s Peters finished third with his best throw of 83.24m off the third try.
Coming into the event, Neeraj would have had fond memories of Poland. At the World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz back in 2016, a young Neeraj shot into international limelight with 86.48m – a Junior World Record that still stands. Even before Paris 2024, he had said in an interview to JioCinema, “To date, I am only satisfied with one throw of mine, which was 86.48m at the Under 20 Worlds.”
His return to Poland for the first time since then for a competitive event, Neeraj didn’t quite seem to find his rhythm. When the throwers were introduced, Neeraj was decked up in his winter-wear in temperatures around 13 degrees Celsius, a far cry from the conditions last week in Doha at the Diamond League, where both Neeraj and Weber entered the 90m club in great conditions for throwing.
After a first foul throw, with Weber and Peters already both crossing 80m with their attempts, Neeraj got on board with 81.28m with his second. That was followed by a couple more throws, and by this time Weber had already registered his 86.12 while Peters had improved to 83.24m as well. After his fourth throw was unsatisfactory, Neeraj – back in his winter jacket to stay warm – headed over to his coach (and world record holder) Jan Zelezny in the stands and had a quick chat.
Whatever was discussed seemed to have helped Neeraj as he went up to 81.80 with his fifth attempt, till then his best of the day. It wasn’t enough at that point to move him up the standings, but with his last throw, Neeraj came up with his best of the day, getting closer to that 85m marker. There wasn’t too much of a celebration from the two-time Olympic medallist, as he shadowed his throwing motion while waiting for the official mark to come up. When it did, he had done enough to keep up his streak at the very least.
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In the past Neeraj has spoken about how he considers consistency to be his biggest strength. A 90m+ throw didn’t seem likely anyway from the word go, with only four men eventually clearing 80m in a field of 7 throwers who have gone past that mark. But he did what he had to, even on a frustrating night, ensuring he stays close to the top.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
