India's javelin ace and double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra bagged another honour to his credit by claiming the men's javelin crown at the Ostrava Golden Spike 2025 meet on Tuesday. His personal best of 85.29 metres fetched him the first podium position in the elite one-day athletics competition.
Chopra, 27, wrapped up the title even before the final round as no rival could overcome his third-round attempt of 85.29m. Closest to him was South Africa's Douw Smit at 84.12m, with Grenada's Anderson Peters taking bronze with 83.63m.
This is Neeraj's latest triumph, coming just a few weeks after his win at the Paris Diamond League. The Haryana runner, who claimed gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and silver at Paris 2024, has time and again demonstrated his superiority in the event.
Despite victory, Chopra was probably shooting for a higher mark, particularly given that he recently broke the coveted 90m barrier—a feat he is keen to repeat. The conditions and execution on Tuesday did not, however, permit him to cover that distance.
Neeraj began with a foul but came back in the second round with an 83.45m throw. He then produced his finest performance on the third attempt, launching the spear to 85.29m and taking a comfortable lead.
In the rest of the rounds, he had throws of 82.17m and 81.01m in the fourth and fifth attempts, respectively. He consciously chose to foul his sixth and last attempt following a failed attempt.
Though he might not have been entirely pleased with the length, the consistency and competitive advantage that helped him win yet another gold highlight Chopra's best form for further big events later this season.
Final Results – Men's Javelin, Ostrava Golden Spike 2025:
Neeraj Chopra (India) – 85.29m
Douw Smit (South Africa) – 84.12m
Anderson Peters (Grenada) – 83.63m
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