Neeraj Chopra Doha Diamond League 2025 Javelin throw Highlights: 90m breached by Neeraj Chopra but still finishes second behind Julian Weber

It is a little bit bittersweet result. I am very happy for the 90m, but this second place - it actually happened to me also when I competed in Turku and in Stockholm. I threw 89.94 and I was always second. And also here. I broke the national record and got second today. But I am very happy also for Julian Weber. He threw 91 so we both broke 90m for the first time today. We have been tying this for so many years, so finally, we managed to get it. It it was just a first competition of the year so I am confident that at the next competitions, I will throw far. I was very confident today and I expected Julian to get a massive throw as he was very consistent with his attempts. I told him that today is the day when we both can break the 90m mark. It is like a boost for us and we will go far also next time. I feel very good that Jan Zelezny is my coach now and we worked very hard in South Africa. We still work on few points and still learning some things. Normally, he does not go to the Diamond Leagues but he came with me because he told me that today is the day to achieve 90m.”

Indian athlete Parul Chaudhary breaks her own national record mark of 9 minutes and 15.31 seconds with a timing of nine minutes and 13.39 seconds to finish sixth in the women’s 3000m steeplechase final in Diamond League in Doha. Chaudhary also qualified for the 2025 World Championships with this finish.

Nitin Sharma

Neeraj Chopra and Julian Weber first competed in a field consisting of both of them in 2016. Since then the two have competed against each other 16 more times with both of them crossing the 90m mark at Doha on Friday.

Nitin Sharma

Five javelin throwers out of the 26 throwers with 90m plus mark in the world have made their personal best throw at Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha. Two of those five came on Friday at the Doha stadium with Neeraj Chopra making a throw 90.23m throw and Julian Weber with a 91.06m throw. Earlier Thomas Rohler of Germany had made a throw of 93.90m in Doha in 2017 apart from Anderson Peters making a throw of 93.07m in 2022. Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic had made a throw of 90.88m at Doha in 2022. Three athletes in the top 26 have made their personal best at Kuartene, Finland.

Nitin Sharma

Neeraj Chopra had broken the 70m mark with a throw of 70.19 at Federation Cup at Patiala in 2014. He crossed the 80m mark next year at the Inter-University Championships at Patiala. Since then Chopra has crossed the 80m mark 54 times. The throw of 90.23m marks the first time he has crossed the 90m mark. Neeraj Chopra had come within less than a metre of the elusive 90m mark with the closest being the throw of 89.94m in Stockholm Diamond League in 2022. Neeraj Chopra had come within less than a metre of the elusive 90m mark with the closest being the throw of 89.94m in Stockholm Diamond League in 2022.

Nitin Sharma

Now with Julian Weber of Germany making a season lead mark of 91.06m, Neeraj Chopra’s mark of 90.23m stands at the 26th in all time list of leading mark in men’s javelin throw.

Nitin Sharma

What a sensational finish, Neeraj Chopra does cross the 90m mark but he is pipped to the Doha DL meet win by Julian Weber! 

WOWWW! Julian Weber beats Neeraj Chopra with his LAST throw. Another entry into the 90m club, and he goes just a bit farther than Neeraj for a 91.06m, new World Lead.

Neeraj finishes the night with 88m+ throw. 

Could we have a final twist in the javelin? Final throws coming up.

Jakub has not a good night, his night is over after 5 throws. 79..60m is his best throw of the night. 

Neeraj's 4th throw is 80.56m. 

Weber meanwhile goes close to 90m! Waiting for the final confirmation. 89.84 for Weber with his 2nd and it is a new Personal Best.

Till 2025, Neeraj's best was 89.94m. Here's a look at how his season bests have progressed.

Out of the 25 javelin throwers with 90m-plus throws in the world, six throwers are from Germany, four are from Finland, two from Czech Republic, one each from Grenada, Pakistan, Kenya, Russia, Greece, Norway, Great Britain, Chinese Taepei, USA, Latvia, Estonia and Trinidad and Tobago apart from Neeraj Chopra from India.

Nitin Sharma

Pretty decent improvement from Kishore in that 2nd attempt by the way as he went up to 78.60. Currently placed 8th and that means he actually get two more attempts.The top 8 only get to throw 4th and 5th, with top three throwing for a sixth time. Neeraj still in the lead. 

Neeraj Chopra becomes the 25th man in the world to break the 90m barrier in the javelin throw event.

Meanwhile, Julian Weber is back too! It's a superb 89.06 from the German big man. 

THE 90M MARK HAS BEEN BREACHED BY NEERAJ CHOPRA! A NEW LIFETIME BEST!

Gulveer started off well and he finishes 9th in what was a superb 5000m race.

Neeraj Chopra's second throw is registered as a foul. Weber throws 85.57 for his best throw yet on the night.

Neeraj Chopra leading the way. A really ordinary sub 70m from Kishore though.

UPDATE FROM DIAMOND LEAGUE LIVE: "What a start that is from Neeraj Chopra! The Indian opens his account with a world-leading 88.44m in the first round."

This is based on hearing what the stadium announcer just said, it looks like Neeraj Chopra's first throw was a world-leading 88m+ throw! 

We are still unable to see official live updates 

Gulveer Singh in action here. 

The men's javelin athletes are being announced at the moment. Neeraj will be a fan-favourite and he is the first one to throw. 

Unfortunately, the live scores are not working at the moment, so we are going to be in for a struggle to find out his results live. 

Shelly-Anna Fraser-Pryce finishes 3rd as Tia Clayton takes the lead ahead of her sister. 

The name at the very top will be the man behind Neeraj today.

Chopra and Nadeem have dominated the javelin world in the last few years. At the Tokyo Olympics, Chopra became the first Indian to win a track-and-field gold medal while Nadeem finished fifth. Last year at the Paris Games, Nadeem shattered the Olympic record to win Pakistan’s first gold medal outside hockey while Chopra clinched the silver medal.

The duo is unlikely to go head-to-head anytime soon this year, with Chopra opting for Diamond League and another meet in Poland to kick off his season while Nadeem choosing to take part in the Asian Championships.

Last month, Chopra had issued a strong statement, saying he received hate and abuse over inviting Nadeem for the now-postponed NC Classic, and his family had also been at the receiving end.

“There has been so much talk about my decision to invite Arshad Nadeem to compete in the Neeraj Chopra Classic, and most of it has been hate and abuse,” Chopra had said. “They haven’t even left my family out of it. The invitation I extended to Arshad was from one athlete to another — nothing more, nothing less. The aim of the NC Classic was to bring the best athletes to India and for our country to be the home of world-class sporting events. Invites had gone out to all athletes two days before the terrorist attacks at Pahalgam. After all that has taken place over the last 48 hours, Arshad’s presence at the NC Classic was completely out of the question.”

Claiming that he ‘did not have a very strong relationship’ with the reigning Olympic champion from Pakistan, Arshad Nadeem, Neeraj Chopra said if anyone talks with him ‘respectfully’, he will reciprocate in the same way.

The twice Olympic and World Championship medallist was asked about his relationship with Nadeem, which has come under scrutiny after the Pahalgam terror attacks and the subsequent conflict between India and Pakistan.

Speaking at a media conference in Doha, ahead of Friday’s Diamond League, Chopra said: “First of all, I really wanted to (make it) clear that I didn’t have a very strong relationship (with Nadeem). As athletes, we have to talk, and I have some good friends in the athletics community and from all around the world. Not just javelin throwers but also other events. But yeah, if someone talks to me respectfully, I also talk to them respectfully.”

Doha has a reputation for being a good hunting ground for javelin and Neeraj had told the organisers recently that he was looking forward to see how much farther he can go, working with world record holder Jan Zelezny as his new coach. “Last year taught me a lot, but I was proud to be on the podium for India once again at the Olympic Games. I’m now fully fit and really enjoying the hard work that Jan u017delezný and I are putting in. I’m looking forward to opening my season in Doha. The crowd at the Qatar Sports Club is always loud, and I think that brings out the best in all of us. I know the fans expect big things from me when I compete here – and with good conditions and a great atmosphere that’s definitely possible – but I pride myself on my consistency, which I believe is one of my greatest strengths. For me, that’s more important than just chasing a number,” he had said.

Neeraj, who won the meet in 2023 (88.67m) and finished second in 2024 (88.36m), will be joined by Kishore Jena in the men's javelin throw. Jena took part in 2024 as well and had finished ninth with a throw of 76.31m. The star-studded field in the men's javelin throw will have the likes of two-time world champion and Paris Olympics bronze winner Anderson Peters of Grenada, 2024 winner Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, Julian Weber and Max Dehning of Germany, Julius Yego of Kenya and Roderick Genki Dean of Japan.

In April, Neeraj had thrown 84.52m at the Potch Invitational Meet, McArthur Stadium, Potchefstroom but this will officially be the first main event of the season for him. With men's javelin not featuring in the two Chinese meets of the Diamond League season, Doha usually is the curtain-raiser for this discipline and will give us an indication of where Neeraj stands at the start of the build-up to World Championships in Tokyo.

Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will have the company of three other compatriots in the Doha leg of Diamond League Meeting on May 16, as the country will have maximum representation ever in a DL event. The other two Indians in the fray are national record holder Gulveer Singh, who is making his Diamond League debut, in men's 5000m and Parul Chaudhary in the women's 3000m steeplechase. Chaudhary is the national record holder in the women's 3000m steeplechase.

As he switched between exuding charm and showcasing diplomacy — drawing chuckles as he sheepishly narrated his awkwardness on ad-shoot sets and deftly handling the Arshad Nadeem bouncer hurled at him — only one thing Neeraj Chopra declared mattered: that, for the first time in months, he was fully fit. “(Earlier) I had some problems in my groin,” Chopra said in Doha ahead of the Diamond League curtain-raiser for men's javelin throw. “This time, I never missed any (throwing) session. So, I feel very confident.” To understand how big a deal this — not missing a throwing session — is for Chopra, it is important to go nine months back in time. Moments after winning the Paris Olympics silver medal last August, he was concerned that the persisting groin injury did not allow him to explore his full range. “I haven’t been able to throw from the full runway. Maximum athletes will have 40-50 throws in one session. With me, who knows, maybe in two or three weeks, I’ll have one session. I have the fear of getting injured,” an anguished Chopra had said.

Fast forward to Thursday — the eve of his first major competition this year — there were no creases on an injury-free Chopra’s forehead. “I feel really good. The last throwing sessions were really great. I am ready,” he said. “I am very excited to open my season in Doha.” 

READ MORE BY MIHIR VASAVDA

It's one of the big events of today, alongside women's 100m where Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is the headliner.

Screengrab courtesy: Wanda Diamond League YouTube

Reminder that Neeraj's event starts at 10.13 pm IST. And if you are a newcomer to following the Diamond League, we are unlikely to get too many glimpses of him in action early on.

PHOTO: Doha Diamond League

Neeraj Chopra & Kishore Jena in men's javelin throw: 10.13 pm IST

Gulveer Singh in men’s 5000m: 10.15 pm IST

Parul Chaudhary in women’s 3000m steeplechase: 11.14 pm IST

In India, the official stream is available on Wanda Diamond League YouTube.

The world's best athletes descend on Doha this Friday for the third leg of the 2025 Wanda Diamond League season. Jamaican sprint icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will be chasing her first Diamond League win since 2022 in the women's 100m, while Botswana's Letsile Tebogo takes on his first 200m of the new season. Other big names are also in action like New Zealand's high jump Olympic champion Hamish Kerr and Bahrain's 3000m steeplechase world-beater Winfred Yavi.

Men's javelin throw starts at 10.13 pm IST

And welcome to our live coverage of the Doha Diamond League where all Indian eyes will be on Neeraj Chopra. The two-time Olympic medallist officially kickstarts his 2025 season in a stacked field in Doha, where he will look to set the tone for a crucial season building up to the World Championships in Tokyo. There is Kishore Jena as well in men's javelin. In fact, India have four athletes in action today – a new Diamond League high – with Gulveer Singh and Parul Chaudhary who will be taking part in the men’s 5000m and women’s 3000m steeplechase events. 

STAY TUNED FOR ALL THE UPDATES! This could be a big night.