IMAGE: Neeraj Chopra throws over 90m for the first time. Photographs: Diamond League Athletics/Instagram
India’s javelin ace Neeraj Chopra finally breached the elusive 90-metre mark at the Doha Diamond League on Friday, but despite the historic throw, he finished second to Germany’s Julian Weber in a dramatic contest.
With a monstrous 90.23m throw on his third attempt, the 27-year-old double Olympic medallist became only the third Asian — and the 25th athlete in history — to cross the iconic distance.
Chopra now joins an exclusive club led by his own coach, the legendary Jan Zelezny of Czech, whose 90m-plus throws are etched in the sport’s history books. Among Asians, only Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem (92.97m) and Chinese Taipei’s Chao-Tsun Cheng (91.36m) had previously achieved the feat.
Chopra began his campaign in emphatic fashion, launching his first attempt to a distance of 88.44 metres, which not only gave him the early lead but also registered the world lead at that stage of the competition.
But the highlight of the evening came in the third round, when Chopra unleashed a sensational 90.23-metre throw — shattering his own national record and finally crossing the long-anticipated 90-metre mark. It was a historic moment not just for Chopra but for Indian athletics, as the 26-year-old entered the elite club of 90m-plus javelin throwers.
However, the drama wasn’t over yet.
In a thrilling twist, Germany’s Julian Weber pulled off a last-round stunner, hurling the javelin to 91.06 metres — not only snatching the victory from Chopra but also breaching the 90-metre mark himself for the very first time in his career.
Despite the second place finish, Chopra’s performance stood tall.
