Two-time world champion javelin thrower Anderson Peters and Asian Games silver medallist Kishore Jena have pulled out of the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic event which will be held at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru later this week. Peters had to drop out of the event on Tuesday due to an ankle injury. Jena had also dropped out due to an ankle injury, the organisers had said earlier. The 28-year-old Jena was one of five Indians, including two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra himself, supposed to compete at the inaugural NC Classic alongside Rohit Yadav, Sachin Yadav and Sahil Silwal. Jena was replaced by Yashvir Singh. 27-year-old Peters, who hails from Grenada, had claimed the bronze medal behind Neeraj at the Paris Olympics last year. He and Rio Olympics gold medallist Thomas Rohler were the biggest draws at the event besides Neeraj himself. Peters has had a long rivalry with Chopra. He successfully defended his World Championships title in 2022, defeating Neeraj with three throws over 90 metres. Peters then went on to win a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games behind Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, where Neeraj did not compete due to an injury. Peters was replaced by Poland's Cyprian Mrzyglód in the event schedule for Saturday. Mrzyglód is a 2019 European U23 champion and his best throw of 84.97 metres came during the event. Earlier, last month, Poland's Martin Konecny had replaced Asian Games bronze medallist Genki Dean of Japan. "Anderson Peters has been ruled out of the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 due to an ankle injury sustained during his last competition. Poland's Cyprian Mrzyglód has been named as his replacement in the final lineup," the organisers wrote in a statement they posted on X. Organised by double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra in collaboration with JSW Sports and sanctioned by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), the world-class event featuring 12 javelin throwers, including five Indians, has already seen three replacements. India's first-ever international javelin competition, originally slated for May 24, was postponed due to military tensions between India and Pakistan. The confirmed international lineup now includes Mrzyglód, Poland's Martin Konecny, 2016 Olympic gold medallist Thomas Röhler (Germany), 2015 world champion Julius Yego (Kenya), Curtis Thompson (USA), Luiz Mauricio da Silva (Brazil), and Rumesh Pathirage (Sri Lanka). The Indian contingent will feature Asian Championships silver medallist Sachin Yadav, Rohit Yadav, and Sahil Silwal, Yashvir Singh besides Neeraj. The event, granted Category A status by World Athletics, is considered a "dream project" of Chopra and aims to establish India as a credible host of elite-level athletics events. (With inputs from PTI)
