Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra put up another impressive show on home turf, clinching the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 in Bengaluru with a personal best throw of 86.18 meters, which was achieved in his third effort. The meet, which took place at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, was won by Kenya’s Julius Yego in the second place, while Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage settled for the third position on the podium.
Chopra had a wobbly beginning, fouling on his initial attempt. But he soon found his rhythm in the second round with a 82.99 meters throw, briefly taking the lead. He really got going in the third round, throwing the javelin to 86.18 meters, regaining the top spot from Pathirage.
While Neeraj fouled again in the fourth round, he maintained his lead with a strong fifth-round throw of 84.07 meters, which kept his rivals at bay. His performance, although not his personal best, was more than enough to seal the win in a field that featured some of the sport’s top names.
The order of throwing was announced beforehand, with India’s Sahil Silwal going first, and Neeraj ending last in the 12-strong lineup. Prior to the event commencing, the crowd erupted in applause as each participant was announced, but most vocal of all were the cheers for the home favourite. Chopra, visibly shaken by the welcome, commented prior to the event that he was “not taking any pressure” and was just intent on performing at his best.
The Neeraj Chopra Classic was initially set to take place in Panchkula in the state of Haryana, which is Neeraj’s home state, but was subsequently relocated to Bengaluru. The stadium that hosts Bengaluru FC of the Indian Super League (ISL) was abuzz. The meet was organized jointly by JSW Sports and Neeraj himself, and it featured top-of-the-world javelin action before a local crowd that was full of enthusiasm.
Awarded the ‘Gold Status’ by World Athletics, the competition saw international participants such as Curtis Thompson (USA), Martin Konecny (Czechia), Cyprian Mrzyglod (Poland), Luiz Mauricio da Silva (Brazil), and Thomas Roehler (Germany), besides a few top Indian javelin throwers.
Most notably missing were Grenada’s Anderson Peters and India’s Kishore Jena, both being injured out. Pakistan’s Olympic medal prospect Arshad Nadeem also missed the event. His non-appearance came after earlier disagreements over his participation in the face of the Pahalgam terror attack, following which Neeraj had made a public statement.
Regardless of the lack of names, the event did not disappoint, and Neeraj Chopra’s powerful performance was a reminder why he is still among the best in the world.
