 "Neeraj Chopra took the second place at the Poland Athletics Meet 2025. Image: TVP Sport")
India’s star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finished second at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial 2025 in Chorzow, Poland on Friday. He threw 84.14m in his sixth and final attempt to secure a top-two finish, continuing his amazing run of form. This is the 22nd time in a row since 2021 that Neeraj has finished in the top 2 in a competition.
Germany’s Julian Weber won the event with a strong 86.12m throw. Anderson Peters from Grenada finished third with 83.24m.
Chopra bounces back despite a poor day
It was not an easy day for Neeraj. He had a tough start, fouling his first throw and then struggling to find rhythm. His only legal throw before the final round was 81.28m in the second attempt. He intentionally fouled again in the third, fourth, and had a small improvement to 81.80m in the fifth.
With just one chance left, Neeraj needed something big and he delivered under pressure. His final throw of 84.14m pushed Peters to third and confirmed Neeraj’s second-place finish. Neeraj had registered a massive 90.23m throw at the recently-concluded Doha Diamond League.
It was the first time the Indian star had crossed the elusive 90m mark. Even though he was surpassed by Weber at the same event, who also registered his first-ever 90m throw, Chopra was aiming to better his performance in Poland. However, the Haryana athlete managed to throw only in 80s this time around.
Chopra was earlier slated to compete in the inaugural NC Classic, an event to be hosted by him on 24 May in Bengaluru, alongside several Indian and global stars, including Weber and Perers. But the event was postponed in the wake of military confrontation between India and Pakistan.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThis Poland event is the third competition for Chopra this season. He started in South Africa at the Potch Invitational Track event, a World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger competition, in Potchefstroom on 16 April, emerging on top with a modest throw of 84.52m.
(With agency inputs)