Tokyo: Neeraj Chopra, India’s two-time Olympic medallist, will lead the nation’s charge in the men’s javelin throw at the World Athletics Championships starting Saturday, aiming to become only the third athlete in history to defend a World Championships javelin title.

Historic gold in Budapest

Chopra won gold at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest with a throw of 88.17m, ahead of Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem (87.82m) and Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch (86.67m). Should he win gold on September 18, he will join Jan Zelezny (1993, 1995) and Anderson Peters (2019, 2022) as the only men to successfully defend a World Championship javelin crown. Zelezny, now Chopra’s coach, remains a legendary figure in the sport.

Tough competition in Tokyo

Leading a 19-member Indian contingent as the sole medal hopeful in men’s javelin, Chopra will face Nadeem for the first time since the 2024 Paris Olympics, offering a chance to avenge his silver finish in France.

However, the competition is fierce. World’s top throwers, including Julian Weber of Germany (Diamond League champion, 91.51m season best), Peters, Kenya’s Julius Yego, 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott, veteran Vadlejch, and Luiz da Silva of Brazil (recent 91m throw), are all in the fray. Chopra’s season-best throw of 88.16m has been overshadowed by some inconsistent performances, including throws under 85m in two events.

In head-to-head encounters this season, Chopra trails Weber 1-3, with the last meeting at the Diamond League Final, where he threw 85.01m for second place.

Other Indian contenders

Three additional Indians — Sachin Yadav, Yashvir Singh, and Rohit Yadav — qualified for the men’s javelin through world rankings, making India the country with the most participants in this event. Chopra enters as the defending champion with a wild card.

Other Indian athletes to watch include:

  • Annu Rani – women’s javelin (fifth World Championships, season-best 62.59m)

  • Parul Chaudhary – women’s 3000m steeplechase

  • Murali Sreeshankar – men’s long jump (returning from injury, season-best 8.05m)

  • Gulveer Singh – men’s 5000m

  • Praveen Chithravel – men’s triple jump

  • Animesh Kujur – men’s 200m (first Indian at World Championships)

  • Tejas Shirse – men’s 110m hurdles

    • Indian athletics action begins Saturday with the men’s and women’s 35km race walk, featuring Ram Baboo, Sandeep Kumar, and Priyanka Goswami, while Pooja competes in the 1500m heat in the evening session.

    Chopra’s quest for consecutive world gold in Tokyo promises to be one of the most closely watched events for Indian fans, as he carries the hopes of the nation on his shoulders.