Neeraj Chopra roped in Jan Zelezny in November 2024 to further improve his performance. The only highlight of the 11 months partnership was 90.23m throw at the Doha Diamond League.
India’s star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and Czech legend Jan Zelezny partnership might take time to bloom. On Thursday night at Tokyo’s National Stadium, Chopra couldn’t defend his men’s javelin throw title at the World Athletics Championships in Japan. Chopra struggled to find a good rhythm and eventually finished eighth with a throw of 84.03m.
Chopra had roped in javelin legend Zelezny in November 2024 to further improve his performance. The only highlight of the 11 months partnership was 90.23m at the Doha Diamond League. It was Chopra’s personal best and national record.
In the last few years, Chopra came agonisingly close to the 90m mark many times but he was finally able to nail it this season. However, that has remained the only highlight for Chopra this year.
In May when he joined the 90m club he hinted of more big throws. But as the season progressed, he struggled to achieve another 90m throw.
For someone who has been incredibly consistent with his performance at the top level since winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics, Chopra has struggled this year. Though he was still throwing well enough to finish on the podium.
After a not so encouraging performance in Tokyo, Chopra claimed to have been affected by back pain. How much it restricted him to launch a massive throw in the competitive field, only Chopra and his coaching staff can explain.
On the eve of the medal round, Chopra revealed he was learning new things, including tweaking technique under his new coach Zelezny. However, his body language (he looked bit stressed), was different during qualification on Wednesday (September 17) though he managed to earn a place in the final round with one single attempt.
Because of noticeable stagnation in Chopra’s performance graph since July this year, it’s time for India’s two-time Olympic and World medallist to take a deserving break to rejuvenate and bounce back in 2026 season.
Chopra has been a talking point across platforms, including social media ever since he won historic gold at Tokyo Olympic Games. He is the only Indian athlete to conquer the all—Asian Games. Commonwealth Games, Olympic Games, Diamond League Trophy and World Championships titles.
The highlight of men’s javelin at Tokyo World Athletics Championships also revealed that India’s promising javelin thrower Sachin Yadav on his debut was able to soak in high voltage pressure. He finished fourth, hinting at a bright future ahead.
ENDS
