File photo of Neeraj Chopra© X (Twitter)
Neeraj Chopra reflected on his recent outing at the Doha Diamond League 2025 where the Indian star finally breached the 90 metre mark with his throw of 90.23. The impact of new coach Jan Zelezny was apparent as Chopra finally crossed the match that he had attempted several times in the last few years. Chopra has recently appointed three-time Olympic gold medallist Zelezny of the Czech Republic as his coach, replacing Dr. Klaus Bartonietz and the 27-year-old thanked his coach and physio for their support while letting the people know that ‘This is just the beginning.’ “Happy to finally achieve the 90m mark at the Doha DL. A big thank you to the Indian supporters in the stadium for their encouragement, and to those watching and praying from home. Grateful to my coach, Jan Zelezny and physio Ishaan Marwaha for their constant support. This is just the beginning. “
After a steady start in which he reached 88.44m in his first attempt and followed it up with a foul, Chopra unleashed the monster throw in his third attempt and crossed the milestone that has evaded him for a while with a throw of 90.23m.
With this throw, Neeraj joins the elite club of javelin throwers who have crossed the 90 m mark, which includes reigning Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan, reaffirming his status as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
Neeraj fouled his fourth attempt, and just when it looked like the Indian star would bag another golden triumph in a Diamond League meet, Germany’s Julian Weber snatched the victory with a 91.06m attempt in the final round.
It was a good result for Chopra as it took off the pressure of crossing the 90m mark off his back, and the Indian star can now concentrate on defending his World Championship gold and on regaining the Olympic gold medal in Los Angeles in 2028.
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