In a first, Neeraj Chopra crosses the 90m mark; secures second position in Doha Diamond League

New Delhi (India) May 17: Neeraj Chopra, a javelin throw player from India, made history on Friday by becoming the first Indian to ever clear the 90-meter mark while he was competing in the 2025 Doha Diamond League. With a remarkable throw of 90.23 meters on his third attempt of the evening, Neeraj finally broke through the 90-meter mark. Even though he had advanced to the final round, Julian Weber of Germany broke his own personal record with an incredible throw of 91.06 meters, and Neeraj finished second.

Chopra's success in Doha is bound to increase expectations before the Olympics and other important tournaments, considering this was his first major competition after he changed his coach.

With this achievement, Chopra joins a group of 25 javelin throwers from around the world who have thrown more than 90 meters. This group includes famous throwers like Arshad Nadeem, Johannes Vetter, Thomas Röhler, and Zelezny. The fact that the 90-meter throw has only been achieved 126 times in history highlights how difficult this achievement is.

After the tournament, Chopra expressed his mixed emotions about the result:

"It is a little bit bittersweet result. I am very happy for the 90m, but this second place -- it actually happened to me also when I competed in Turku and Stockholm. I threw 89.94, and I was always second. And also here. I broke the national record and got second today. But I am very happy also for Julian Weber. He threw 91, so we both broke 90m for the first time today. We have been trying this for so many years, so finally, we managed to get it.”

Chopra received appreciation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social networking site X:

"A spectacular feat! Congratulations to Neeraj Chopra for breaching the 90 m mark at Doha Diamond League 2025 and achieving his personal best throw. This is the outcome of his relentless dedication, discipline and passion. India is elated and proud.”

This Doha match was particularly important because Chopra would not be competing later this month because the NC Classic 2025 in Bengaluru has been cancelled.

Aadrika Tayal