Neeraj Chopra enters the World Athletics Championship as the defending champion, having won at the Worlds in 2023 in Budapest. Neeraj will be among four Indians in action in the Javelin event in the Championships. Here is all you need to know about the event.
India Javelin star Neeraj Chopra will aim to defend his World Championship crown as he takes the field at the World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo. The two-time Olympic medallist is set to face fierce competition from the likes of Olympic Champions Arshad Nadeem, Diamond League winner Julian Weber, Anderson Peters and Luiz Mauricio da Silva.
Meanwhile, this will be the first face-off between Neeraj and Arshad since the Paris Olympics in August last year, when the Indian star was pipped by his Pakistani counterpart for the gold medal. Arshad has competed only once since then and has not faced Neeraj after their meeting in Paris.
When is the Javelin event at the World Athletics Championships?
The Javelin event will take place across two days at the World Championships. The qualifying event is set to take place on September 17, while the final will be held on September 18.
How many athletes are there, and what are the groups?
37 athletes will be participating in the Javelin event, headlined by Neeraj, Arshad and Weber. Four Indians will be in the Javelin event: Neeraj Chopra, Sachin Yadav, Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh. All the athletes have been placed in two groups, with Group A featuring 19 athletes. The likes of Neeraj, Sachin, Weber, Keshorn Walcott and Jakub Vadlejch are in Group A alongside 14 more athletes, while Group B has 18 athletes, including Rohit, Yash Vir, Arshad, Peters and Luiz Mauricio da Silva
What are the timings of the event?
The Qualifying will take place on September 17. Group A will kick start its proceedings first from 3:40 pm IST onwards. Group B athletes will be in action later from 5:15 pm IST onwards. The final will take place a day later, on September 18, from 3:53 PM IST onwards.
What is the qualification scenario for the final?
A minimum of 12 athletes will take part in the Thursday final. The automatic qualification mark for reaching the final is 84.50m. Athletes who fail to breach this mark but stay in the top 12 will be part of the final. Meanwhile, if more than 12 athletes breach this mark, then they will be part of the final too.
How to watch the event in India?
Fans in India will be able to catch the action from the comfort of their homes. The Star Sports Network will broadcast the two-day event, while live streaming will be available on the JioHotstarย app and website.