Neeraj Chopra Breaks 90m Barrier, Takes Silver in Doha Diamond League

India’s javelin star Neeraj Chopra finally breached the coveted 90m mark with a 90.23m throw but settled for second place behind Germany’s Julian Weber (91.06m) in a thrilling men’s javelin contest at the Doha Diamond League on Friday.

The 27-year-old double Olympic medallist, coached by Jan Zelezny, became the third Asian and 25th global thrower to surpass 90m, joining Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem (92.97m) and Chinese Taipei’s Chao-Tsun Cheng (91.36m). Weber’s final throw, also his first over 90m, secured the world-leading mark for 2025.

Chopra, whose previous best was 89.94m, described the milestone as “bitter-sweet.” “I’m very happy to have breached 90m, but it’s a bitter-sweet experience,” he said, crediting Zelezny’s prediction and Doha’s warm, windy conditions.

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“I believe I can throw farther,” he added, eyeing future 90m-plus throws. His series included 88.44m, a foul, 90.23m, 80.56m, another foul, and 88.20m. Anderson Peters of Grenada took bronze with 84.65m, while India’s Kishore Jena finished eighth at 78.60m.

In other Indian results, Parul Chaudhary set a new women’s 3000m steeplechase national record of 9:13.39, finishing sixth, improving on her 9:15.31. Gulveer Singh placed ninth in the men’s 5000m at 13:24.32, slower than his 12:59.77 record. This marked the first time four Indians competed in a Diamond League event.

Chopra, who won Doha’s title in 2023 (88.67m), next competes at Poland’s Janusz Kusociński Memorial on May 23, facing Weber and Peters again, before the Golden Spike meet in Czechia on June 24. The Doha leg, the third in the 2025 Wanda Diamond League series, sets the stage for the Zurich finale on August 27-28.

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