May 24, 2025: Chopra's best throw, which came on his sixth and last try, was 84.14 meters.
At the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial event held here on Friday, star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was not at his best, finishing in second place and missing the 85-meter barrier in a rare appearance in his storied career.
Chopra's best throw, which was his sixth and last try, was only 84.14 meters. Until the penultimate round ended, he was in third place.
With his second round throw of 86.12m, Julian Weber of Germany, who had defeated Chopra for the top spot in the Doha Diamond League on May 16 in a 90m duel, triumphed once more. In 2022, he won the European championship, and in 2024, he placed second.
Grenada's Anderson Peters, a two-time world champion, came in third with a best throw of 83.24 meters. He also finished third in Doha.
Actually, it was a rerun of the Doha top three result; the only difference was that, following rain at the Silesian Stadium earlier in the day, all three of them performed below their best in cloudy conditions.
Although Weber had taken first place with his final effort of 91.06 meters, 27-year-old Chopra had finally broken the desired 90-meter mark with a throw of 90.23 meters in Doha. In Doha, Peters' best throw was 85.64 meters.
In actuality, Weber produced all of the competition's throws that were longer than 85 meters. Following his second round
After starting with a foul, the Indian double Olympic medallist recorded a second throw of 81.28. However, he had trouble making a huge throw and was observed talking to his instructor, the world-record-holding and legendary javelin thrower Jan Zelezny, who addressed Chopra from the stands.
Chopra committed fouls on his third and fourth throws. His fifth-round score of 81.40 meters kept him in third place, but his last attempt of 84.14 meters moved him up to second place. In his six attempts, he only made three valid throws.
Chopra was previously scheduled to compete alongside a number of Indian and international players, including Weber and Peters, in the first NC Classic, which he will host in Bengaluru on May 24. However, in the wake of India and Pakistan's military conflict, the event was postponedChopra's third competition of the season is this one in Poland. He made his debut in South Africa on April 16 at the World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger event, the Potch Invitational Track, in Potchefstroom. He won with a modest throw of 84.52 meters.
The Janusz Kusocinski Memorial is a silver event on the World Athletics Continental Tour. It is among the oldest track and field competitions in Europe and the oldest in Poland to be contested continually.
The greatest names in track and field have participated in the event since its inaugural edition in 1954, which was organized by friends of the renowned Olympic champion runner Janusz Kusocinski.
Chopra will also participate in the Golden Spike 2025 athletics competition on June 24 in Ostrava, Czech Republic, following this event. The next Diamond League event featuring the men's javelin is scheduled for June 20 in Paris.