Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra will launch his World Championship title defence on Wednesday in Tokyo, stepping into the qualification round of the men’s javelin throw against a star-studded field.
The 26-year-old Indian will aim to repeat his 2023 triumph in Budapest, where he became the country’s first-ever world champion in javelin.
Blockbuster field awaits
Chopra’s challenge will not be easy. The line-up includes Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who clinched Olympic gold in Paris last year, and Julian Weber of Germany, the reigning Diamond League champion.
With the sport’s biggest names converging, the qualification round promises to be a high-intensity contest even before the medals are decided.
Rare feat in sight
If Chopra defends his crown, he will join an elite list of javelin legends. Only Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic (1993, 1995) and Anderson Peters of Grenada (2019, 2022) have successfully defended their world titles.
Interestingly, Zelezny, a three-time Olympic champion, is also Chopra’s coach, adding another layer of intrigue to the Indian star’s campaign.
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