"Outcome Of...": PM Narendra Modi Elated Over Neeraj Chopra's 'Spectacular' Throw Of 90.23m At Diamond League
Neeraj Chopra achieved what had been a mental block for him over the years on Friday. After having won all that is there to be won - Olympics gold medal, World Championship, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games - Neeraj had one feat which eluded him over the years - the hallowed 90m mark, a gold standard in javelin throw. Finally, he achieved the mark with his third attempt at the Doha Diamond league. Neeraj, a two-time Olympic medallist, started strong with a world-leading throw of 88.44m at the Qatar Sports Club. After a foul in his second attempt, he came back with a stunning 90.23m throw on his third try, setting a new national record. His previous best was 89.94m, achieved in Stockholm Diamond League two years ago. Over time, Neeraj has had six throws in the range of 89m but had just missed the 90m milestone until now.
PN Narendra Modi was elated at Neeraj's feat. "A spectacular feat! Congratulations to Neeraj Chopra for breaching the 90 m mark at Doha Diamond League 2025 and achieving his personal best throw. This is the outcome of his relentless dedication, discipline and passion. India is elated and proud," PM Modi wrote on X.
A spectacular feat! Congratulations to Neeraj Chopra for breaching the 90 m mark at Doha Diamond League 2025 and achieving his personal best throw. This is the outcome of his relentless dedication, discipline and passion. India is elated and proud. @Neeraj_chopra1 pic.twitter.com/n33Zw4ZfIt
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 17, 2025
Though, Neeraj breached the 90m mark for the first time, he finished second behind Germany Julian Weber, who threw 91.06m.
"It is a little bit bittersweet result," Neeraj said, as quoted from Olympics.com
"I am very happy for the 90m, but this second place - it actually happened to me also when I competed in Turku and in Stockholm. I threw 89.94 and I was always second. And also here. I broke the national record and got second," he added.
He is currently training under Jan Zelezny, the legendary Czech thrower and world record holder (98.48m, set in 1996). Zelezny is considered one of the greatest in the sport and has five of the top ten throws in javelin history.
"I feel very good that Jan Zelezny is my coach now," Neeraj said, as quoted from Olympics.com
"We still work on a few points and still learning some things. Normally, he does not go to the Diamond Leagues, but he came with me because he told me that today is the day to achieve 90m," he noted.
With this performance, Neeraj became the 25th athlete in history to throw beyond 90m in the men's javelin. His mark is also the third-best by an Asian, behind Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem (92.97m) and Chao-Tsun Cheng from Chinese Taipei (91.36m).
Despite Neeraj's incredible throw, Germany's Julian Weber snatched victory with a personal best of 91.06m on his final attempt. Grenada's Anderson Peters, the 2022 world champion who had edged past Neeraj in Doha last year by just 1cm, finished third this time with a best of 85.64m.
"I am very happy also for Julian Weber," Neeraj said, as quoted from Olympics.com
"He threw 91 so we both broke 90m for the first time today. We have been trying this for so many years, so finally, we managed to get it," he added.
"It was just the first competition of the year, so I am confident that at the next competitions, I will throw far. I was very confident today, and I expected Julian to get a massive throw as he was very consistent with his attempts," he noted.
"I told him that today is the day when we both can break the 90m mark. It is like a boost for us, and we will go far also next time," Chopra added.
India's Kishore Jena came eighth with a best throw of 78.60m. This was his second appearance in a Diamond League event after finishing ninth in Doha last year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Indian Express
ISSF World Cup: Manu Bhaker, Chain Singh reach finals but miss out on medals in Munich
Double Paris Olympics bronze medalist Manu Bhaker, finished sixth in the women's 25m pistol final, while Chain Singh finished seventh in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions (3P), as India continued to maintain a 100% finals appearance record, in the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup (Rifle/Pistol) in Munich. Manu rallied brilliantly in the second rapid-fire stage of qualification earlier in the day, to make a fourth individual world cup final this year, shooting a sublime 298/300 to finish fifth in the 94-strong field. She shot a total of 588. Chain too maintained his excellent form this year, returning a 592 in qualification to qualify sixth in a top field. It was his second individual world cup final this year, after having won bronze in Buenos Aires. The men's 3P was the first final of competition day two and the Indian could not recover from a score of 49.5 for his first five shots in the first Kneeling position, bowing out at the 40-shot mark with a tally of 407.0. The women's final which followed, had both the reigning Paris pistol champions from Korea, besides two top Chinese shooters, including Sun Yujie, who had won both the golds in the event in Buenos Aires and Lima. Manu started well and was in medal contention till the third series of five-shots, however a score of two-hits in the fourth, pegged her back. She fought hard, but could not finish beyond sixth, exiting after the sixth series with 20-hits to her name. Sun completed her hattrick with a score of 38, ahead of the two Korean champions Oh Yejin and Yang Jiin. India's search for a second medal, after Elavenil Valarivan had won bronze in the women's 10m air rifle on day one, continues on day three with the men's 10m air rifle and the women's 3P finals lined up.
India Gazette
7 hours ago
- India Gazette
"Indian players have some serious skills": Tim Walsh backs RPL to shape India's Olympic rugby dream
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 11 (ANI): Tim Walsh, head coach of the Mumbai Dreamers, expressed strong belief in the transformative power of the Rugby Premier League (RPL). The former Australian player-turned-head coach, who led the Australian women's rugby sevens team to a gold medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016, is confident that the tournament's structure, professionalism, and potential will propel Indian rugby towards greater heights, according to a release from RPL. Reflecting on his experience as the head coach of Mumbai Dreamers, he said, 'So far it has been excellent for us. The environment is very welcoming and very professionally run. The training facilities are amazing, and we're getting some great work under our belts to go and put on a show,' as quoted from a release by RPL. The RPL is the first of its kind franchise tournament for Rugby Sevens'. Speaking on the league's unique format, Walsh reckoned that the environment is helping all the players evolve. 'We get to share our knowledge and experience with each other and grow. Everyone here is going to grow- as a player, a coach, and a person. It's a privilege to be part of it,' he said. When asked about the Indian talent in his squad, Walsh highlighted how well they've adapted to the team environment. 'The Indian boys have fitted in extraordinarily well. They've got some serious skill and talent. Now, it's our job now to unlock it,' he added. The Australian also underlined RPL's long-term value for India's Olympic ambitions, stating, 'Hopefully the impact is exponential. The tournament has visionary leaders and backing from amazing sponsors. Everything takes time, but with investment and professionalism, India has every chance to reach the Olympics.' 'Shout out to Rugby India and GMR for making this happen. It's a really powerful growth moment for rugby and rugby sevens. You're merging sport and entertainment in a fantastic, colourful country', he added. Asked what he's most looking forward to, Walsh offered a coach's perspective with a human touch. 'What I love about coaching is bringing different people together and watching them have a really good time. When they enjoy themselves, they perform well. We're after a great challenge, great energy, and hopefully, a win,' he said. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
8 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Savita, Sushila fly the flag for the old guard
Defender Deep Grace Ekka retired in January 2024. Rani Rampal then made her retirement official late last year. Vandana Katariya decided to call it a day two months ago. The old guard of Indian women's hockey is slowly walking into the sunset, having led them into new territory over the last decade, chiefly the 2016 Rio Olympics when India qualified for the Games for the first time in 36 years and Tokyo 2021 when the then Rani-led side ended an unprecedented fourth — narrowly missing out on a medal. But two stars of the old guard are still around, still delivering and willing to give it their all every time they step on to the pitch. Goalkeeper Savita Punia, who will turn 35 next month, and 33-year-old defender Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam are still going strong but many are wondering... for how long? 'First of all, I don't think we have anyone close who can substitute for Savita and Sushila. Moreover, if we talk about their fitness, I think it's very good. As long as you are performing and your fitness is there, there is no question of talking about their future,' India chief coach Harendra Singh told HT. Given that this is the start of a new Olympic cycle, some have wondered if India would be better off with newer players. But with a combined 553 international caps between the two, the two former India captains have made full use of their experience to not just stay in the team but also become vital cogs in the setup. Expectedly, Harendra has selected the two for the European leg of the Pro League that will be held from June 14. The matches in London, Antwerp and Berlin are important considering India has a chance of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in Belgium and Netherlands. If they miss the opportunity, they will have a big chance at the Asia Cup to be played at Hangzhou in September. Next year is also significant given that it will see the World Cup and the Asian Games, which is a qualifier for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. 'I have selected the team keeping in mind 2028. And it is all about fitness. It is not about being senior and junior. Their (Australia) tour (also) went well. So, I'm not looking at it from that angle at all. For example, among goalkeepers, (PR) Sreejesh, (Belgium's Vincent) Vanasch and all these players were in the same age group as Savita, even older than her. Yet they performed,' says Harendra. 'So, age is not a criteria for anyone, in sports in particular. And in hockey, because of rolling substitution athletes can remain injury free. The requirement of high-speed running you require per second, the players are meeting. That's more than enough. And I believe if defenders are seasoned, they always pay dividends and these two players are the most valuable defenders in the current team.'
