Neeraj Chopra, India’s Olympic gold medallist in javelin, fulfilled a lifelong dream by winning the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic.
The 27-year-old claimed gold with a throw of 86.18m at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
The Neeraj Chopra Classic, a World Athletics gold-level event, marked Chopra’s personal mission to give back to his country. He expressed gratitude for the support he has received throughout his journey.
Taking to Instagram, he posted, “Giving back to my country was a small dream of mine that came to life with the Neeraj Chopra Classic.”
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Kenya’s Julius Yego secured second place with a season-best 84.51m. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage finished third, registering 84.34m.
A crowd of 14,593 fans welcomed Chopra with loud cheers as he began with a foul but bounced back strongly. He took the lead in his second attempt with a throw of 82.99m.
His third attempt produced the winning throw of 86.18m. He later threw 84.07m in his fifth round and ended with 82.22m. Despite two fouls, Chopra dominated the competition and thrilled the Bengaluru audience.
Chopra’s season reflects consistency and growth
Chopra opened his season with a win at the Potch Invitational in South Africa. He followed it up with a 90.23m throw at the Doha Diamond League, setting a new national record and finishing second. He also secured second place at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland.
Last week, Chopra won the Paris Diamond League with an 88.16m effort. He continued his strong form at the Ostrava Golden Spike 2025 meet, registering 85.29m to clinch the title.
Chopra said the real joy came from hosting the event and seeing athletes from around the world participate. “Winning it was special, but even more special was the process of putting it together,” he wrote.
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