Neeraj Chopra Falters, Finishes Eighth; Surprise Showing by Sachin Yadav at World Athletics Championships

NEW DELHI: Neeraj Chopra’s campaign at the World Athletics Championships ended in disappointment on Thursday as he finished eighth in the men’s javelin final. The Tokyo Olympics gold medallist, who had triumphed at the same venue in 2020, was unable to replicate that success this time.He opened with a throw of 84.65m, followed by 83.03m in his second attempt, a foul on his third, and 82.86m in his fourth. On a day when no thrower crossed the 90m mark, Chopra was eliminated after the fifth and penultimate round, managing a best of 84.03m that left him eighth overall.Before Thursday, Chopra's lowest mark this season was 82.27m at the Federation Cup in May 2024, where he still won gold. He had even breached the 90m mark with a throw of 90.23m at the Doha Diamond League in May under the guidance of legendary coach Jan Zelezny, but his performances have dipped since then.A visibly frustrated Neeraj grimaced after one of his releases, ripped off his equipment, and walked back slowly in annoyance.Chopra was upstaged by compatriot debutant Sachin Yadav, who produced a personal best effort to finish a commendable fourth. Yadav narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth with a commendable throw of 86.27m.Only the top six athletes qualify for the sixth and final round, and it was Yadav who surprisingly became India’s lone representative there. His first-attempt throw of 86.27m — a personal best — placed him ahead of Chopra as well as established names like Julian Weber (86.11m) and reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem (82.75m). Nadeem, a silver medallist in the previous edition, was among the early exits after the fourth round.Keshorn Walcott claimed the gold with a best effort of 88.16m, while Anderson Peters took silver with 87.38m. Curtis Thompson of the United States bagged bronze.