This achievement has garnered widespread acclaim, including congratulations from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who praised Chopra's dedication and discipline. Chopra expressed confidence in his future performances, stating that he is capable of even longer throws .
In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, “A spectacular feat! Congratulations to Neeraj Chopra for breaching the 90 m mark at Doha Diamond League 2025 and achieving his personal best throw. This is the outcome of his relentless dedication, discipline and passion. India is elated and proud.”
The inevitable finally happened. India's Neeraj Chopra breached the 90m mark for the first time in his career on Friday as he scaled the barrier during the Doha Diamond League. In his third attempt in the men's javelin throw final, the 27-year-old registered a throw of 90.23m. As soon as the Indian sensation achieved the landmark, the entire crowd roared in jubilation and started applauding.
However, Neeraj Chopra's throw of 90.23m was not enough, as Julian Weber of Germany came from behind in Neeraj Chopra achieved a historic milestone at the 2025 Doha Diamond League by surpassing the 90-meter mark in javelin throw for the first time in his career. With a throw of 90.23 meters on his third attempt, he became the first Indian and only the third Asian to breach this elite barrier, joining Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem and Chinese Taipei’s Chao-Tsun Cheng. Despite this personal best, Chopra finished second in the competition, as Germany’s Julian Weber clinched victory with a final throw of 91.06 meters. Anderson Peters of Grenada finished third, while India's Kishore Jena ended up in the eighth position.
It must be mentioned that this is the first time Julian Weber has crossed the 90m mark in the javelin throw event. The German athlete is now the 26th man to do so. Earlier, Neeraj Chopra started the event with a first attempt of 88.44m. His second attempt was not counted as it was registered as a foul. In his fourth attempt, Neeraj registered a throw of 80.56m. Neeraj Chopra's fifth throw was a foul, while his last attempt fetched a throw of 88.20m. By going past the 90m mark, Neeraj Chopra became the 25th man to cross the landmark in the men's javelin throw event. Neeraj also broke his own national record of 89.94m, which he had set in the Stockholm Diamond League in 2022. Neeraj's throw of 90.23m is the 24th-best throw in the history of the men’s javelin throw event. It must be mentioned that Chopra’s coach, Jan Zelenzny of the Czech Republic, registered the world record throw of 98.48m in 1996.
Out of the 26 javelin throwers to have registered the 90m-plus throws in the world, seven belong to Germany, four to Finland, two to the Czech Republic, and one each from Grenada, Pakistan, Kenya, Russia, Greece, Norway, Great Britain, Chinese Taipei, USA, Latvia, Estonia, Trinidad and Tobago and India.
This throw of 90.23m is now India’s national record mark. Neeraj Chopra had earlier captured the imagination of the entire world after winning a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. His win was instrumental in India warming up to the javelin throw as a sport. Neeraj Chopra then followed it up with a silver medal at the Paris Olympics in 2024. Not just this, the athlete is also a double medallist at the World Championships and the Asian Games. He has won the Diamond League once.
He became the third Asian and 25th overall to achieve the feat. However, Weber turned the tables and took the top spot with his sixth and final throw, measuring 91.06m. Chopra was leading before Weber's final attempt. Two-time world champion and Paris Olympics bronze medallist Anderson Peters of Grenada was third with his opening throw of 84.65m.
"I am very happy to have breached the 90m mark, but it's a bitter-sweet experience," Chopra said later. My coach, Jan Zelezny, said today is the day when I can throw 90m. The wind helps, and the weather is a little warm and which helps. I also told Julian that we can throw 90m. I am also happy for him [Julian].”
"I believe I can throw farther than this in the coming events. We will work on some aspects and will throw 90m plus again this season," he added. The other Indian in the fray, Kishore Jena, finished eighth with a below-par throw of 78.60m. Chopra began the contest with 88.44m, followed by a foul attempt. He then sent his spear past the elusive 90m mark to the collective sigh of relief of the whole country. His next three series were 80.56m, foul and 88.20m. He first competed in the Doha DL in 2018 when he finished fourth with a best throw of 87.43m.
As Neeraj goes past the 90m for the first time, here’s a look at the throws that have defined his glittering career so far.
86.48m: World U20 Championships, Bydgoszcz (POL)
23 JUL 2016
In an interview before Paris 2024, Neeraj had said that the only throw that he had been satisfied till date was the 86.48m in the World Under-20 Championships 2016. “That was one throw where I felt it was a special, unique one, but I have not been satisfied with any throw since. I feel I haven’t got to my peak yet,” he recalled. It is the throw that shot him to the limelight, a junior world record that still stands.
87.58m: Olympic Games, Tokyo (JPN)
07 AUG 2021
The night he rewrote the history books. Neeraj went where no other Indian had gone before, becoming the first ever track & field gold medallist at the Olympic Games. Entering the event as one of the medal favourites, Neeraj set the tone in the qualification round even as some of the other favourites struggled in the Tokyo heat and in the final, he beat the field to clinch gold.
89.94m: BAUHAUS-Galan, Stockholm (SWE)
30 JUN 2022
The closest Neeraj had come to completing the dream of 90m before Friday night in Doha. In the press interactions over the last couple of years, whenever the question of the 90m mark came up, Neeraj used to go back to that day in Stockholm, referring to how he was just 6 cm of that mark that he longed for. And now, he has bettered his own best to set a new benchmark for Indian athletics.
90.23m: Diamond League meet, Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha (QAT)
16 MAY 2025
And after coming close on numerous occasions in the past, a fully-fit Neeraj threw a new career-best in Doha to finally breach the 90m barrier. Out of the 25 javelin throwers with 90m-plus throws in the world, six throwers are from Germany, four are from Finland, two from Czech Republic, one each from Grenada, Pakistan, Kenya, Russia, Greece, Norway, Great Britain, Chinese Taepei, USA, Latvia, Estonia and Trinidad and Tobago apart from Neeraj from India.
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