Athletics
World Athletics C'ships 2025: Neeraj Chopra qualifies for final; Animesh Kujur exits
Praveen Chitravel, Abdulla Aboobacker also failed to reach triple jump final.
Neeraj Chopra (Photo credit: Wanda Diamond League)
Neeraj Chopra started his men's javelin throw title defence in style at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, becoming the first athlete to qualify for the final.
Kicking off the qualification round in Group A, Chopra recorded a distance of 84.85m to book his spot in the final with just a solitary throw.
The direct qualification mark stood at 84.5m.
Soon after the 2025 season leader Julian Weber overtook the Indian to register a distance of 87.21m, while Dawid Wegner of Poland registered a personal best 85.67m to qualify for the final.
The 2025 World Athletics Championships marked the fifth straight global event where Chopra has qualified for the final with just one throw. He did the same in 2022 and 2023 editions of the World Championships. It was the same at the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics.
Sachin Yadav to compete in final; Yashvir, Rohit exit
Among the other Indian javelin throwers in contention, Sachin Yadav was the only other to reach the final.
Sachin put up three consistent throws – 80.16m, 83.67m, and 82.63m – in the qualification round.
His best effort of 83.67m, though short of the automatic qualification mark, was enough to be in the top 12 and qualify for the final. He finished sixth in Group A and tenth overall.
Rohit Yadav, meanwhile, finished 28th overall with a best of 77.81m, whereas Yashvir Singh finished even lower at 30th spot with a best of 77.51m.
Animesh Kujur, Praveen Chitravel bow out
Elsewhere, the national record holder Animesh Kujur had a disappointing run at the 2025 World Athletics Championships as he finished last in heat 3 of men's 200m.
Kujur clocked 20.77s, far below his personal best of 20.27s.
He had run 20.27s in June earlier this year, with a wind reading of 2.3m/s. His national record stands at 20.43s.
On the other hand, triple jumpers Praveen Chitravel and Abdulla Aboobacker's struggles at global events extended as they failed to impress in the qualification round.
Chitravel finished 15th with a best of 16.74m, whereas Aboobacker was 24th with a best of 16.33m.
Chitravel seemed to have the 17m mark with his first attempt, but it was called a foul. He was just 1cm over the board. If the jump had counted, the Tamil Nadu lad would have made it to the final.
