Neeraj Chopra, India’s golden boy of javelin throw, is back where he belongs – at the very top of the World Rankings! After a string of spectacular performances, he’s reclaimed his No. 1 spot in the latest list released by World Athletics this week.
It’s been a journey back to the summit for Neeraj. He had briefly lost his top ranking to Grenada’s Anderson Peters last September, after Peters’ win at the Diamond League Final. But Neeraj’s unwavering consistency has paid off, and he’s now ahead with 1445 points, compared to Peters’ 1431. Germany’s Julian Weber sits at third with 1407, while Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, the current Olympic champion, is fourth with 1370.
The 27-year-old reigning world champion has had a remarkable season so far. He kicked things off in April with a win at an invitational meet in Potchefstroom, South Africa, throwing 84.52m.
A major highlight came at his Diamond League opener in Doha, where Neeraj achieved a significant milestone: he broke the elusive 90m mark for the very first time with a throw of 90.23m, surpassing his previous best of 89.94m! Even though he finished second to Julian Weber’s world-leading 91.06m that day, it was a huge personal achievement.
He continued to impress, even with a second-place finish (84.14m) to Weber (86.12m) at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland. However, Neeraj soon turned the tables, beating Weber at the Paris Diamond League with a strong opening throw of 88.16m.
Most recently, Neeraj secured his third victory of the season at the Ostrava Golden Spike, again with an impressive 88.16m throw.
Looking ahead, Neeraj is set to defend his title at the World Championships in Tokyo this September, which is his main goal for the season. Before that, Indian fans have a special treat in store: Neeraj’s next event will be the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru on July 5th, where he’ll compete on home soil. It’s truly exciting to see him dominate the javelin world once again.
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