Neeraj Chopra back in action: Javelin star set for another battle with Julian Weber at Paris Diamond League
In his Instagram post at the end of the 2024 season, Neeraj Chopra – reflecting on a year that wasn't up to his high standards but still saw him keep his place on the Olympic podium and continue his streak of top-two finishes – wrote about his learnings and setbacks. 'While I couldn't meet my own expectations, I feel this was a season in which I learned a lot. I am now determined to return, fully fit and ready to go.' One of the replies to that post came from Julian Weber, who had finished a disappointing 6th at Paris 2024. The German wrote: 'Such a great season bro, next year 90m will be easy for us.' And followed that with a muscle flex emoji.
And flex their muscles they did in Doha earlier this year, as both of them entered the coveted 90m club in the curtain-raiser for 2025. It set the tone beautifully for what is developing into the rivalry to watch this season in track and field, and they will be at it again on Friday night at Charléty Stadium in Paris in the second Diamond League meet for men's javelin.
Paris, of course, is the city where we saw a different side to Neeraj. Usually buoyant in his media interactions, even when the wait for the 90m throw kept extending, Neeraj spoke of the struggles he had been facing in the previous seasons. 'Medal alag cheez hai (Medal is one thing),' after his silver-medal winning effort at Stade de France, with the disappointment that was evident in his demeanour despite going where no Indian athlete had gone before him. 'But I feel there is a better throw left in me. Until I get that, shanti nahi mil paegi (I won't be at peace).'
In Doha, Neeraj's season got off to a strong start. His first throw was a solid 88.44m and a sign that he was in the zone early, and then with his third throw, he went past the mark that he had been dreaming about, a new Personal Best of 90.23m. That, however, wasn't enough to win the event on the night as Weber kept his end-of-season promise to Neeraj and threw 91.06m for what is the world-leading mark to beat this year.
At the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial a week later, in chilly conditions not ideal for throwing, Neeraj struggled for most of the event but Weber was operating in a zone that no one else in the field was. While the Indian star did manage to come up with 84.14m with his last throw (and extended his run of finishing in the top two at 22 events since June 2021), Weber threw thrice beyond 85m while no one else managed even once.
For this very reason, in Paris on Friday night, the javelin event will attract attention. The Meeting de Paris website is on the hype machine too: 'Lucky are those who have tickets for Friday's big Parisian show. Few meetings can boast a field of five javelin throwers over 90m.' Of course, Olympic Champion Arshad Nadeem doesn't participate in the Diamond League, so that matchup would have to wait until the World Championships later this year in Tokyo.
But it is an otherwise strong field too, with the usual suspects – current World No 1 Anderson Peters (Season Best 85.64), Kenya's Julius Yego (SB 78.74), Trinidad and Tobago's Keshorn Walcott (SB: 84.65) and Brazilian Mauricio Luiz Da Silva (SB: 86.34) in the fray.
'It is a little bit bittersweet result,' Neeraj had said in Doha. '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 (in 2022). I threw 89.94 and I was second (at Stockholm DL in 2022, his previous best). Here also I broke the national record and got second. But I am very happy also for Weber, we both broke 90m for the first time, we've been trying this for so many years, so finally, we managed to get it.' Neeraj reiterated that he is feeling fit and pain-free at the start of this season after a long time, insisted it is just the beginning for his much-talked-about partnership with world record-holder Jan Zelezny.
For Weber, 2025 could be when he makes his major breakthrough if he continues this form. He has often found himself outside the podium when the big events came along, but that could all change in 2025. 'I've been so close for so long, and deep down, I always knew I had a 90-meter throw in me,' he told The Indian Express in an email interview.
'The vibe was incredible in Doha, and I was in a really good headspace. I didn't let Neeraj's early throw shake me. On the contrary, it added to the excitement. I stayed focused, kept building with each throw, and knew that if I caught one just right, something big could happen. It's a really exciting time for the sport. When guys like Walcott, Peters, and Chopra are encouraging you before a final throw, that says something. I think we're definitely going to see more 90-meter throws, more head-to-head battles.'
Conditions permitting, Paris could well witness the next nail-biting chapter waiting to be written this season.
The men's javelin final at Paris DL will start at 1.12 am IST (Saturday) and will be streamed live on Diamond League's YouTube channel.
Vinayakk Mohanarangan is Senior Assistant Editor and is based in New Delhi. ... Read More
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