Neeraj Chopra has not finished in the top two of a major competition for the first time in almost four years. The Indian javelin star, who had become a symbol of unwavering consistency, came in a dismal eighth place at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. The stadium where he famously won Olympic gold in 2021 was where he broke his streak in a disappointing way.
“I don’t get what occurred today. “This hasn’t happened in a long time,” Chopra stated after his last throw, looking very upset. Since winning the Olympics, the 27-year-old had finished in the top two in 25 straight tournaments, including triumphs in the Diamond League and World Championships.
A Day Full of Struggles and Surprises
Chopra started the competition by throwing the ball 83.65 meters, which was a new distance for him. At the end of the first round, he was in sixth place. His second throw, which was 84.03m, was a little better, but it wasn’t enough to keep him from falling to ninth.
Others owned the day. Sachin Yadav, a constable with the Uttar Pradesh Police and a fellow countryman, had the finest performance of his career, with his longest throw of 86.27m putting him in a respectable fourth position. Curtis Thompson from the US, who would go on to win the bronze medal, was in the lead early on with an 86.67m throw.
But the greatest news of the night was Keshorn Walcott from Trinidad and Tobago. The 2012 London Olympics winner, who is now coached by Klaus Bartonietz (who previously led Chopra to his Olympic and World medals), hadn’t won a big medal in 13 years. Walcott won the world championship with an 88.16m throw on his fourth try, after taking the lead with an 87.83m throw.
Chopra’s performance was still not steady; he fouled on his third try and threw 82.86m on his fourth. He made a mistake on his last throw, which ended his competition and his streak. Later, he said that he had been having problems with his body. He said, “I had some problems before I came to Tokyo.” “Two weeks ago, I had some problems with my back, but I didn’t want to tell anyone. I thought I would still be able to get through it. But javelin is quite hard. “You’re out if you’re not in good shape.”
Chopra took the news well and said he would learn from it. “It’s life. It’s a sport.” I have to accept it and go on. It wasn’t hard to compete two days in a row. I’ll go back to my hotel, watch the competition, and check on my throws. I will work on that.