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India's ace javelin thrower, two-time Olympic medalist and former world champion Neeraj Chopra's stunning 26-event run of finishing in the top two on the podium came to an end on a heartbreaking note with an 8th-place finish during his world title defence at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this year.
Chopra's incredible streak came to an end at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships in September, where he finished 8th with a best throw of 84.03m. This marked the first time in 26 events that Chopra failed to secure a top-two finish. This defeat in the World Athletics Championships also marked the end of Neeraj Chopra's impressive 33-event podium streak, which began at the 2018 All-India Inter-Services Championships. Aside from this rare setback, the Indian superstar has enjoyed a successful 2025 season. He took the top honours in the inaugural edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic, a competition named after him at Sri Kanteerava Outdoor Stadium in Bengaluru in July. Neeraj kickstarted the season with a win at the Potch Invitational in Potchefstroom, South Africa, in April and followed it up with a very special second-place finish at Doha Diamond League in May, where he crossed the 90-metre mark for the first time, with a throw of 90.23 m. The "Golden Boy" finally silenced the four-year-long chatter about the 90-meter mark. On May 16, Chopra threw a massive 90.23m. Although he finished second in the meet, he set a new Indian national record and became only the 25th man in history to breach the hallowed 90m barrier. He also went on to secure a second spot in the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland later that month. He resumed his winning ways with back-to-back titles at Paris Diamond League and Ostrava Golden Spike, with best efforts of 88.16 m and 85.29 m. In late August, Chopra's streak of top two finishes at events continued as he secured the second spot with the best throw of 85.01 m during the Diamond League final in Zurich. Born on 24 December 1997 in Khandra village, Panipat district, Haryana, he has brought immense pride to the Nation and the Armed Forces through his remarkable international athletic achievements. The star javelin thrower made history as the first Indian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in track and field at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In October, the Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh formally conferred the Honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army upon Chopra during the pipping ceremony at South Block, New Delhi. Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi and other senior officials of the Indian Army and Territorial Army were present on the occasion. (ANI)
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