End Of An Era: Neeraj Chopra's Seven-Year Winning Streak Gets Broken In Tokyo

Last Updated:September 18, 2025, 19:19 IST

Neeraj Chopra’s 2566-day podium streak ended at World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo, finishing eighth.

Neeraj Chopra finished 8th in the finals of the javelin throw event at the 2025 World Athletics Championships (AFP)

For 2,566 days, Neeraj Chopra was a permanent fixture on the podium. Through highs and lows, India’s javelin superstar always found a way to finish among the top three.

But every streak, no matter how remarkable, must eventually end. And so it did on a cool evening in Tokyo, where the reigning world champion could manage only eighth place at the World Athletics Championships 2025 final, registering a best throw of 84.03m.

The End of an Era

Neeraj’s consistency had defined his career for the better part of a decade. He had not missed the podium at any event since 2018 and had not finished outside the top two internationally since the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In Budapest two years ago, he made history by winning India’s first-ever world title in athletics.

This time, however, he fell short. After five rounds, he slipped outside the top six, failing to advance to the final round of attempts.

Neeraj’s Response: “Losses Are Part of Life"

Despite the disappointment, the 27-year-old Olympic and world champion cut a composed figure. For him, it was merely a bad day at the office, nothing more.

“See, losses are part of life. Anything can happen in sport. I could have prepared to the fullest, but when I’m out there, everything can change," Neeraj told reporters after the event.

On learning about the streak, he admitted he hadn’t realized the scale of his dominance.

“I did not know about this statistic. It feels good to hear that I’ve been performing at such a high level for this period of time. But it is what it is today — we’ll try again from next season onwards."

A Tough Day for Rivals Too

It wasn’t just Neeraj who struggled. His great rival and Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem endured an even tougher evening, finishing 10th with a best of 82.75m.

Neeraj’s compatriot Sachin Yadav nearly made the podium, producing a personal best of 86.27m in the first round. He eventually finished fourth — agonisingly close to becoming India’s next global medalist in javelin.

Walcott Strikes Gold

The night belonged instead to Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott, who unleashed an 88.16m throw to take gold. Anderson Peters of Grenada claimed silver with 87.38m, while the USA’s Curtis Thompson took bronze with 86.67m.

Siddarth Sriram

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...Read More

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...

Read More

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