Latest news with #NeerajChopraClassic2025
Time of India
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Athletics World C'ships: Olympic Cell approves foreign training stints for Neeraj Chopra, others
Bengaluru: India's Neeraj Chopra competes in the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 international javelin competition, at Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru, Karnataka. (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak)(PTI07_05_2025_000529A) New Delhi: The World Championship-bound Indian track-and-field athletes, including defending javelin throw gold-medallist Neeraj Chopra , will mostly train in Europe and the USA before the September showpiece after the sports ministry's Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) approved lengthy exposure trips to enhance their medal prospects. At the 157th meeting of the MOC, athletics was the biggest beneficiary as training and competition proposals amounting to Rs 86 lakh were approved. A lion's share of the amount was set aside for those who have qualified for the Tokyo event from September 13 to 21. Chopra, who is the strongest Indian medal hope and the only one with two world championship medals to his credit, will be training in Prague and Nymburk in the Czech Republic for 57 days. He will be heading out with his physio Ishan Marwah tonight and be based in the European country till September 5 at a total cost of Rs 19 lakh. Before his gold in 2023, the 27-year-old had won a silver in the 2022 edition of the big event, making him the first Indian after Anju Bobby George (long jump bronze in 2003) to finish on the podium of the marquee competition. Steeplechasers Avinash Sable, and Parul Chaudhary and long-distance runner Gulveer Singh will be training at Colorado Springs, Los Angeles from July 15 to September 3. The government has approved Rs 41.29 lakh for the trio's training expenses. All three of them are national record-holders and performed well during the Asian Championships in May. Sable expectedly won gold, while Chaudhary brought home silver medals in women's steeplechase and 5000m races. Gulveer won gold medals in men's 10,000m as well as 5,000m events, clocking a championship record in the latter race. Other proposals also approved The MOC also sanctioned Rs 10.32 lakh for middle distance runner Ajay Kumar Saroj to train with the elite athletes at the same venue. He won a silver medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. Saroj was hampered by an ankle injury for most of last year. Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar will be heading for competitions in Europe and Central Asia (Portugal, Spain and Kazakhstan) from July 19 till August 14 for which the government has approved Rs 5.58 lakh. Sreeshankar was laid low by a knee injury last year which prevented him from competing in the Paris Olympics despite qualifying for the Games. Women's long jump prospects Ancy Sojan and Shaili Singh, who won a bronze medal in the Asian Championships, will also be in Europe for events in London, Berlin and Lausanne at a cost of Rs 9.21 lakh. Para-shuttlers to compete in Cardiff From July 22 to 26, 11 para-shuttlers would be competing at the British and Irish Para-Badminton Championship in Cardiff, which would be crucial for gathering ranking points needed to qualify for the World Para-Badminton Championships early next year. Proven performers like Nitish Kumar, Manoj Sarkar and Krishna Nagar will be part of the 11-strong squad which will be accompanied by six support staff. The MOC has approved a budget of Rs 44.26 lakh for the group. The meeting on Thursday, which was conducted online, was attended by Sports Secretary and Director General, Sports Authority of India (SAI) Hari Ranjan Rao, Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) CEO N S Johal, Target Asian Games Group (TAGG) head Col. Rakesh Yadav, and other senior members such as national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand, Athletics Federation of India spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla, and Indian Olympic Association vice president Gagan Narang among others. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Manika Batra's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 3. Watch Here!
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First Post
07-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Neeraj Chopra Classic first impressions: '15,000 people came to cheer', former Olympic and world champions react
Thomas Rohler and Julius Yego, two of the biggest athletes other than Neeraj Chopra himself who took part in the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 in Bengaluru, share their first impressions of the historic event in India. read more The top athletes including former Olympic and world champions who flew down to India on Neeraj Chopra's request for India's first-ever World Athletics Continental Tour Gold-Level event in Bengaluru left the country highly impressed, feeling loved and asking for more. The inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 at the Sri Kanteerava stadium in Bengaluru on 5 July was a watershed moment for Indian athletics in many ways. The one-day javelin throw event, named after the two-time Olympic medallist and co-organiser Neeraj, witnessed a massive outpouring of love from locals as 14,593 fans turned up to the stadium – an unbelievable statistic for an athletics event in the country. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD They were greeted by some thrilling javelin throw action as 2023 world champion, Neeraj clinched the top spot with a strong 86.18m throw in difficult windy conditions. Kenya's Julius Yego, the 2015 world champion and Rio Games silver medallist, came second with an 84.51m throw and Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage took the third spot with a best effort of 84.34m. Also Read | Bengaluru witnesses home champion Neeraj's class and rare athletics celebration 2016 Olympic champion Thomas Rohler of Germany, one of the biggest names in the 12-man field, had a tough night, finishing 11th with a best attempt of 75.85m. Rohler, Yego praise Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 That, however, didn't spoil his mood as he was happy to see thousands of fans on the ground. 'I think we all need to be thankful for the work and the power that Neeraj put into this event. We've seen how much joy all these people had in the stadium,' Rohler, who has struggled with back injuries over the years, said. 'I mean, we were seeing one event today, not the whole track and field, just javelin. And there were almost 15,000 people coming to cheer for sticks flying far. That is a beautiful thing.' Asked about what would be his recommendation regarding the event to other European athletes, Rohler said: 'The experience was very good. I think that the competition, the friendship that we had, we sat together, Olympic champions at one table, had Indian food together. It was just the overall experience. Thank you guys.' Thomas Rohler praised Neeraj Chopra for making the event possible. Image: Reuters Yego, silver medallist in the 2016 Summer Games, felt that after a successful start, more events could be added to the NC Classic in the next edition. 'The organisation was really nice. I enjoyed every bit of this competition. The accommodation, the hotel, everything was really nice, you know, the security. Maybe next year if possible we can have maybe two events or three events. It's fine because I've seen India doing so many in the long jump, in the triple jump. So we can have the same events going at the same time,' Yego, known as 'Mr YouTube' for learning the sport by watching videos, said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'I've enjoyed it, I love the fans. Every other time on my Instagram I get a lot of messages from the Indians. They really cheer me and sometimes I tell them, you have your own champion who is doing so well and I say, yeah, we want you to push him and today I tried to push him.'
Kuwait Times
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Kuwait Times
Neeraj Chopra wins gold in self-titled field competition
BENGALURU: India's Neeraj Chopra competes during the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025, India's first ever international javelin tournament on July 5, 2025. — AFP BENGALURU: Olympic javelin star Neeraj Chopra headlined what was billed as India's inaugural world-class field competition on Saturday, living up to his goal of elevating domestic talent while also walking away with another gold medal. Chopra, who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and silver at the 2024 Paris Games, triumphed with a throw of 86.18 meters at the 12-athlete javelin Neeraj Chopra Classic event. He finished ahead of former world champion Julius Yego (silver) and Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage (bronze). 'The biggest target of the competition was to uplift the Indian athletes alongside the international ones. We got the best javelin throwers to this competition,' Chopra told reporters after winning the competition. The event drew more than 14,500 spectators - a figure that delighted Chopra, who has long championed greater public support for track and field events. 'We really wanted people to come and watch track and field,' said Chopra, who has single-handedly raised interest for athletics in India and has more than nine million Instagram followers. 'I always request people to come to the stadiums to cheer athletes as they work really hard. 'Track and field is one of the hardest sporting events. I request people to come and watch nationals as well... because our sport can only grow when people will come and watch us.' The event featured three rounds with six attempts per participant, narrowing the field to eight after the initial round of three throws. Among the five Indian competitors, three advanced to the second round including Chopra, outperforming international athletes such as former Olympic champion Thomas Rohler and the Czech Republic's Martin Konecny. 'We have been doing really well in the sport. They (Indian athletes) were quite happy to get a platform to play alongside the world champions,' the 27-year-old said. 'We also plan to add more events to this competition going forward, which will help the Indian athletes more.' — Reuters Among the Indian athletes, apart from Chopra, Asian Athletics Championships silver medallist Sachin Yadav performed well, recording his best throw of 82.33m in the third attempt. 'Sachin could have performed better but he twisted his ankle in his opening throw. Overall, it was good. They will hopefully do well in the future. They are juniors and have time on their hand so will surely do better,' Chopra said. — Reuters
Hindustan Times
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Neeraj's popularity can boost Indian track and field
Bengaluru: Four years ago, Neeraj Chopra raised India's flag at the Tokyo Olympics with no fans in the stands to cheer him on. The Covid-induced protocols meant the venue was empty. Only a handful of Indian athletes, support staff and media witnessed the greatest moment in Indian athletics on the global stage up close. India's Neeraj Chopra acknowledges his fans after winning the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 javelin tournament at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday. (AFP) Yet, on that heady Tokyo night Chopra took a victory lap around the National Stadium, humbly acknowledging their presence and soaking in the feeling. It was a moment of triumph, but the image of a tricolour-draped Chopra celebrating in an empty stadium left one wishing that he should get another opportunity to perform in front of fans in the Olympics. That moment came at the Paris Olympics where Chopra won silver with fans from India making the trip to watch him in action. In four years, Chopra has captured the world championship, Diamond League title and numerous elite level competitions around the world, emerging as a big star of global track and field. Wherever he has gone, the Indian diaspora has been present in full strength to back him. Chopra's stature has grown with each spectacular performance, tremendously boosting his popularity in India. However, in these four years, Chopra had appeared in only one event at home – a domestic competition where his presence went almost unnoticed because of his late confirmation. There was a growing sense that his charisma wasn't utilised to full potential. One longed to see him in a top international competition in India with fans watching him from up and close. That wish was fulfilled at a packed Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday at the Neeraj Chopra Classic. Hopefully, India's sponsors and corporate houses will realise the potential of sports other than cricket. To watch Chopra being swarmed by spectators and showered with love was a delight. He had been in the city for a week doing fan engagement programmes and promoting the event. Everywhere, people sought his autograph and selfies, and received him with warmth. His humility and ability to strike a chord with people stands apart. Even Chopra was surprised by the response and promised to do his bit to get more international events to India. He realises the importance of providing people the opportunity to watch world class athletics action. At the same time, his message was for them to also go and watch domestic competitions and encourage athletes. 'You see the environment today. It's so encouraging for athletes when you have fans coming to stadiums and supporting you. We were talking about it today, about the atmosphere. Our athletes Sachin Yadav, Rohit they were so excited seeing the crowd. This is the kind of support we need for our athletes. They work so hard. When you come along with children, they will feel inspired to take up the sport,' said Chopra. 'We always wanted people to come for domestic track and field meets. AFI has made attempts to draw people to national competitions. So, I want to tell people 'please go and watch domestic meets'. Athletics is full of action. You will see sprinters, throwers, jumpers. At first people might feel so many actions taking place at the same time. Someone is jumping, somebody throwing, and some athletes sprinting. But when you start following and understanding the sport, it is so thrilling,' Chopra explained. Even Chopra, who is usually in control of his emotions, felt the adrenalin rush in front of thousands of fans. With the energy of the roaring crowd behind him, he pushed himself a bit too much on the first throw before reining himself with the second throw. 'Itna jyada energy tha stadium mein josh mein kiya first throw. Then spoke to coach and made some technical correction. I was still not happy with my runway, but that I am able to perform under such pressure situation makes me happy. The last few days I have been busy looking after organising. Though my team was there to help, I wanted everyone, international athletes, to return with a good experience. I wasn't able to train much but somewhere the feeling was there that I also have to do well in an event named after me and in front of home crowd. That way it's a relief that everything went well. 'Indian athletes playing alongside Olympic and world champions in this atmosphere is a big thing for them. That was the idea, to give them some quality competition and for Indian fans to watch them live.' It's a start that needs to be backed up with planning. AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla, who is also vice president of World Athletics, says it already has plans to pitch for the world Championships and world relays. 'We had officials from World Athletics here. It was so well organised with such a great support from people. We will be pitching for the world championships in 2029 and 2031. AFI has also shown interest in bidding for the junior world Championships 2028. 'We will bid for both and see which one we can get to host. We will also bid for the world relays and other events.' Neeraj's popularity can lend the support needed for Indian track and field to go among the masses.
Time of India
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Perfect host Neeraj Chopra wins inaugural NC classic
Bengaluru: India's Neeraj Chopra competes in the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 international javelin competition, at Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru, Karnataka. (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak)(PTI07_05_2025_000529A) Bengaluru: Neeraj Chopra responded to the chants of ' Neeraj , Neeraj, Neeraj' as he battled back after a foul on his first throw to etch his name in the winner's list in the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic at the Sree Kanteerava stadium here on Saturday night. The 15000-odd spectators who almost filled up the stands, much like a Bengaluru FC home match in the Indian Super League, went back singing and dancing to the popular numbers of AR Rahman after they watched their favourite star take the gold beating the challenge from former world champion Julius Yego of Kenya. The two good friends went head-to-head as the competition warmed up after the first round which saw Neeraj check his run-up, before fouling his attempt in what looked like a big heave. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Yego, who went in sixth in the list of 12, came up with an effort of 80.07 as he became the first athlete on the day to breach the 80m mark. Brazilian Luiz Mauricio Da Silva improved it to 80.31m but Chopra was last in the order and came up with his first big throw of the night that landed at 82.99m. The illuminated marks on the field were put at 75m and 80m and then it was straight to the World Lead mark of 91.06m by German Juilan Weber. As the swirling head wind challenged some of the best javelin throwers in the business, the first thrower, India's Sahil Silwal, who twisted his ankle earlier, recorded a foul. Yego failed to improve his mark, settling at 79.73m, while Asian silver medallist Sachin Yadav came up with a big one that measured 82.33. Sri Lankan Rumesh Pathirage raised the level of the competition with a heave of 84.34m but Neeraj Chopra was in no mood to leave it late as he nailed the gold with a biggest heave of the day: 86.18m. Yego found his biggest throw of the day on his fourth attempt, as the field reduced to the top 9 after the first three rounds, that measured 84.51m. It was Yego's season's best effort which got him the silver and pushed Pathirage to settle for the bronze with his best of 84.34m. Chopra fouled his fourth and then recorded 84.07m on his penultimate attempt before the top-8 lined up for one last attempt. Neeraj was last in the order again but he had the gold in his pocket even before he went to the start of his run-up as Yego's challenge ended with a sixth round throw of 82.45m. The Indian star still tried to go past his best of the day but it was not to be as he settled for a last round of 82.22m. India's Sachin Yadav (82.33) finished fourth while Yashvir Singh (79.65) finished in eighth place. Rio Olympic gold medallist Thomas Rohler failed to get into the top-8 Results (top-8): 1. Neeraj Chopra (Ind, 86.18m), 2. Julius Yego (Ken, 84.51), 3. Rumesh Pathirage (84.34m), 4. Sachin Yadav (82.33), 5. Cyprian Mrzygłod (Pol, 82.23), 6. Curtis Thompson (USA, 81.5), 7. Luiz Mauricio Da Silva (Bra, 80.31), 8. Yashvir Singh (Ind, 79.65m) Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
