Amid form concerns, will Neeraj Chopra be able to defend his World Championships title?

Javelin star Neeraj Chopra is leading the 19-man strong field for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Chopra, one of the modern greats in the sport of javelin, will be the centre of attention for the Indian audience in the biennial competition.

While Neeraj has been one of India's main medal hopes in world competitions, this year feels slightly different. After finishing second in both the Olympics and the Diamond League, this is perhaps the first time in several years that Neeraj does not enter a competition as the outright favourite.

Speaking after the announcement of the Indian contingent to Tokyo, former Athletics Federation of India president Adille Sumariwalla showed confidence in the athlete's capabilities and stated that he would pick himself up once he enters the grand stage.

"He is a very technically sound athlete. He has slightly made adjustments from what I understand in his approach and throw. And once that timing is corrected, he is going to be absolutely fine back to throwing 90m," Sumariwalla, who is currently serving as one of the vice-presidents of the World Athletics Federation, said in a virtual interaction.

After he finished second in the Paris Olympics, Neeraj felt the requirement to reshape his technique and made changes to his coaching staff. Neeraj parted ways with Klaus Bartonietz and added the legendary Jan Zelezny going into the 2025 season.

Speaking earlier this year in an interview with India Today, Neeraj revealed that Zelezny, a three-time Olympic gold medallist, has been working with him on changing certain aspects of his technique.

The change in technique brought immediate impact for Neeraj, who breached the 90m mark for the first time in the Doha Diamond League in May 2025. However, inconsistencies affected him throughout the season.

As we build up to the Tokyo World Championships, India’s hopes rest on Neeraj once again — to rise to the occasion and reclaim his world title.