Neeraj Chopra finishes 2nd in Poland event behind Weber

Chorzow: Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was not at his best as he managed a second-place finish, failing to hit the 85m mark in a rare outing in his illustrious career, at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial meet here on Friday.

Chopra could only produce a best throw of 84.14m which came in his sixth and final attempt. He was at the third spot till the end of the penultimate round.

This was the first time Chopra had recorded a best throw of less than 85m in an event after the 82.27m while winning gold at the 2024 Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar.

Germany’s Julian Weber, who had beaten Chopra for the top spot in the Doha Diamond League on May 16 in a 90m duel, again emerged victorious with his second round throw of 86.12m. He an European champion in 2022 and silver-medallist in 2024.

Two-time world champions Anderson Peters of Grenada was third with a best throw of 83.24m. He was third in Doha also.

In fact, it was a repeat of the Doha top three finish, the only difference was that all three of them were below their best under overcast conditions after rain at the Silesian Stadium earlier in the day.

The 27-year-old Chopra had finally breached the coveted 90m mark with a throw of 90.23m in Doha though Weber had won the top spot with his last attempt of 91.06m. Peters had a best throw of 85.64m in Doha.

In fact, there were only 85m-plus throws in the whole competition, with Weber producing all of them. After his second round 86.12m, Weber had 85.03m and 85.11m in his fifth and sixth attempts.

Chopra, the reigning world champion, must be disappointed as since winning gold in Tokyo Olympics in 2021, he had produced below 85m throws in an event only five times before Friday.

The double Olympic medallist India began with a foul and then had 81.28 in his second throw. But he struggled to get a big throw and he was seen consulting with his coach Jan Zelezny, the legendary and world record holder javelin thrower, who spoke to Chopra from the stands.

Chopra’s third and fourth throws were fouls. He had 81.40m in the fifth round, which kept him at the third spot before the 84.14m effort in his last attempt took him to the second spot. He had just three valid throws out of six attempts.

Chopra was earlier slated to compete in the inaugural NC Classic — an event to be hosted by him on May 24 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.

This 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 April 16, emerging on top with a modest throw of 84.52m.

Janusz Kusocinski Memorial is a World Athletics Continental Tour silver event. It is the oldest continuously held track and field meeting in Poland and one of the oldest in Europe.

Since the first edition in 1954, organised on the initiative of friends of the legendary Olympic champion runner Janusz Kusocinski, the event has attracted the biggest names in the world of track and field.

After this event, Chopra is also set to compete at the Golden Spike 2025 athletics meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic on June 24. The next Diamond League which has men’s javelin in the roster is in Paris on June 20.