Doha, May 17 (H.S.): India’s star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra achieved his first career throw over 90 meters at the Doha Diamond League 2025 on Friday, but despite this, he missed out on the title. Germany’s Julian Weber clinched the competition victory with a final attempt throw of 91.06 meters.

Neeraj broke his own national record of 89.94 meters, set at the Stockholm Diamond League in 2022, with a remarkable throw of 90.23 meters. This was the first time Neeraj crossed the 90-meter mark.

After the competition, Neeraj stated, “It was a mixed experience. I am happy to have crossed the 90-meter mark, but finishing second again feels a bit disappointing. This has happened before in Turku and Stockholm. But I am also happy for Julian. We both crossed 90 meters for the first time. This was the first competition of the season, and I am confident about performing even better in the future.”

Neeraj secured a world lead with his first throw of 88.44 meters. He received a ‘no throw’ on his second attempt, while in subsequent attempts, he recorded throws of 80.56 meters and 88.20 meters. It seemed like Neeraj was on course for victory, but Julian Weber turned the tide with a personal best throw of 91.06 meters in his final attempt.

Another Indian participant, Kishore Jena, started with a disappointing throw of only 68.07 meters on his first attempt. He later improved it to 78.60 meters, but was unable to reach the top ranks.

This competition has heightened the excitement for the upcoming season between Neeraj Chopra and Julian Weber.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar