Neeraj Chopra Regains Global Javelin Crown as Arshad Nadeem Continues Strong

Indian Olympic gold medallist and world champion Neeraj Chopra has gained the top spot in the men's javelin throw world ranking, pushing Grenadian athlete Anderson Peters.

According to the latest release from World Athletics, Neeraj is currently at 1,445 ranking points, surpassing Peters at 1,431, as per Olympics.com. Pakistan's Olympic medallist Arshad Nadeem is in fourth place with 1,370 points.

Germany's Julian Weber, who achieved the season best of 91.06 metres at the Doha Diamond League, occupies third place, while Tokyo 2020 silver medallist and Czech javelin superstar Jakub Vadlejch occupies fifth position.

Chopra had lost his No. 1 position to Peters in September 2024, just after the Paris Olympics, where Neeraj had won a silver medal with a throw of 89.45 metres. Peters had won the bronze at that competition.

A Stellar 2025 Season for Neeraj
The 2025 season has witnessed Neeraj posting a string of excellent performances. He started the year by winning the Potch Invitational at Potchefstroom, South Africa, in April. The highlight of the season came next at the Doha Diamond League, where he broke the 90-metre mark for the first time, managing a stupendous 90.23 metres to come second.

Neeraj followed up his good run with a second place at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial meet in Poland later in the month. He again topped the podium with victories at the Paris Diamond League and the Ostrava Golden Spike, throwing bests of 88.16 metres and 85.29 metres, respectively.

Notably, Neeraj defeated Anderson Peters in all four meetings with him this season, continuing his head-to-head superiority. Peters last led him to finish above him was at the 2022 World Athletics Championships when Peters threw 89.91 metres to claim gold, and Neeraj gathered silver with 88.39 metres.

Dominance and Rivalry
With his recent string of successes, Neeraj now has the upper hand in their rivalry with a convincing 16-5 win-loss margin in major finals. Their followers can expect another thrilling encounter between the two at the next Neeraj Chopra Classic on July 5, to be held in Bengaluru.