On Sunday, Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra made history once again by becoming the first Indian to secure a gold medal in the World Athletics Championships. Achieving a remarkable throw of 88.17m in the men's javelin final, Chopra's achievement was further highlighted as three Indians, including Kishore Jena (84.77m) and DP Manu (84.14m), secured top-eight positions – a feat unprecedented in the World Championships.
Chopra's standout throw occurred during his second attempt, with a sequence that included 88.17m, 86.32m, 84.64m, 87.73m, and 83.98m. Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem clinched the silver with a season's best of 87.82m, while Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch secured the bronze.
In this accomplishment, Neeraj Chopra joins legendary shooter Abhinav Bindra as the only second Indian to simultaneously hold titles in both the Olympics and World Championships. Notably, Chopra's victories in the World Championships and Olympics come in line with Bindra's achievements at 23 and 25 years of age, respectively.
Chopra's accolades continue to mount, adding to his Olympic gold in the 2021 Tokyo Games. He had also secured a silver in the 2022 World Championships. Prior to Chopra, long jumper Anju Bobby George earned a bronze in the 2003 World Championships.
Chopra's triumph also places him among history's three javelin throwers who have held both Olympic and World Championships titles, alongside Jan Zelezny of Czech Republic and Norway's Andreas Thorkildsen. After claiming the historic feat, Neeraj spoke to the reporters and called world record holder Jan Zelezny the greatest athlete of all time in javelin throw.
In conquering the World Athletics Championships, Chopra has attained a comprehensive collection of titles across his career. His achievements span the Asian Games (2018), Commonwealth Games (2018), four individual Diamond League Meeting titles (two each in 2022 and 2023), and last year's Diamond League champion's trophy. Additionally, he earned the junior world champion title in 2016 and secured victory in the Asian Championships in 2017.
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