Neeraj Chopra faced heartbreak in Tokyo, failing to defend his title at the World Athletics Championships on Thursday. Neeraj came eighth in the men's javelin throw final and was eliminated in the penultimate round. The Tokyo Olympics gold medallist failed to find any consistency and managed a best throw of 84.03m, failing to even get past the 85m mark.
The result ended one of the most dominating streaks in athletics. This is the first time he has finished outside the top two in an event since his third-place finish at the Kourtane Games in 2021. The run spanned four years and 26 consecutive competitions.
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Neeraj Chopra's special message to Sachin Yadav
Taking to X on Friday, Neeraj expressed his disappointment and revealed that it wasn't how he had 'hoped to end the season'.
"It's not how I had hoped to end the season, at the World Championships in Tokyo. I wanted to step out there and give my best for India despite all the challenges but it wasn't my night", he wrote.
He also had a message for Sachin Yadav, debutant and fellow countryman, who came fourth and for a short period was in the top-three too. "I'm really happy for Sachin, who threw a personal best and almost brought home a medal. Congratulations to @keshorn_walcott, @peters_oly and @Curt_Thompson_ on their well-deserved podium places," he said, congratulating his countryman.
{{/usCountry}}He also had a message for Sachin Yadav, debutant and fellow countryman, who came fourth and for a short period was in the top-three too. "I'm really happy for Sachin, who threw a personal best and almost brought home a medal. Congratulations to @keshorn_walcott, @peters_oly and @Curt_Thompson_ on their well-deserved podium places," he said, congratulating his countryman.
{{/usCountry}}Finally in a message to his fans, he added, “Grateful for all your support, this only makes me determined to come back stronger.”
Sachin's sensational first-attempt throw of 86.27m was also his personal best, and saw him claim the fourth-placed spot. Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago's Keshorn Walcott clinched gold, with a best throw of 88.16m. Grenada's Anderson Peters, who is also a two-time World Champion, came second with a best throw of 87.38m and USA's Curtis Thompson (86.67m) came third.