India’s javelin champion Neeraj Chopra acknowledged that it was a bad idea to compete at the World Championships last year due to a back issue. However, he assured that he “feels fit” as he prepares for a postponed start to his season at the Doha Diamond League on Friday.
In September 2025, Chopra’s mediocre throw of 84.03 meters earned him a sad eighth place position at the Tokyo World Championships. Following the event, he disclosed that he had a lower back problem. He had to postpone the start of the current season because it took him some time to heal.
“I had some injury last year before Tokyo World Championship. We work a lot and also competed in Tokyo, but I don’t think that was a good decision because I already know that I have some problem. But that was the last competition (of 2025), so I decided to compete there,” PTI quoted the 28-year-old said ahead of Friday’s Doha Diamond League.
“In an athlete’s life, if there is one injury we try to save that injury and then we feel another one. I had in my ankle, then somewhere in shoulder, then I sat together with my team and my physio and then we work on every part.”
But ahead of his competitive return, Chopra said, “I feel really good and fit, let’s see tomorrow.”
Under the guidance of world javelin record holder Jan Zelezny, Chopra broke the coveted 90-meter mark in Doha with a throw of 90.23 meters after much effort. However, Chopra disclosed that the historic throw he made in Doha on May 16, 2025, wasn’t his finest.
“Technically, that throw was not that good, it was really fast from the arm but if I had done better with my lower body, that may be (added) two to three metre more. I looked at the video not so many times,” Chopra explained.
“I really like my qualification round throws in the Olympics or World Championships because I feel really relaxed and throw far. But whenever I compete in finals or in main competition, I always try really hard, very aggressive, then I forget my technique. I really like to see my qualification round throws as they are technically better.”
After working with Zelezny for a year, Chopra broke up with him in January of this year, citing a need for his own ideas.
“Zlezny was a great athlete and he was a really good coach also. We worked on a few specific things, I’m happy that I broke 90m under him. I had to stay in one place to hold the season, that was not possible for me. So we decided after Tokyo World Championships maybe I need to work with my ideas, so work with an Indian coach.
“He (Jaiveer Chaudhary) is my senior. I started javelin throw with him so he knows my story from last 15-16 years. He knows my training plans and everything, so now we work on my technique. We are not working anything specific, very deep on anything. I’m working on my natural technique.”
“A little bit of mental relaxation” is provided by not having the Olympics or the World Championships, according to Chopra, but the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games later in the year will still make for a hectic season. Subject to surpassing 82.61 meters, which is not a difficult job by his high standards, he has been included in India’s 32-person athletics team for the CWG.
There will be fierce competition at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July and August, including season leader Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage of Sri Lanka, who threw 92.62 meters earlier this month, Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan, current world champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago, and two-time world champion Anderson Peters.
“All of them have thrown 90m, so Commonwealth Games will not be less (competitive) than Olympics or World Championships, it will be a really tough competition,” said Chopra, who said he “plans” to compete in the Asian Games in Japan in September-October.
Thomas Roller (93.90m) in 2017 and Anderson Peters (93.07m) in 2022 recorded two of the top five 90m throws ever made in Doha DL.
When asked how he would technically adjust to making the most of the wind, Chopra responded, “Sometime, I also throw against the wind here that was not good. We really need to understand how we can use the wind. In javelin throw, we can use wind for runway speed, it really helps. Also, if we point up (the spear) a little bit high and the wind pushes a little bit from behind the javelin, then it helps. But if you throw really flat, then I don’t think so it (wind) will help you. So, you need your mind to throw if you want to use wind.”
