"Had some back issues...": Neeraj after 8th-place finish in World Athletics C'ships javelin title defence

Tokyo [Japan], September 18 (ANI): Following his eighth-place finish and failure to defend his title at the ongoing World Athletics Championships, India's Olympic medalist javelin thrower superstar Neeraj Chopra expressed surprise at his underwhelming performance, saying that he had some back problems two weeks back, expected himself to make it through it but admitted that it it is "life and sports" after all.

Neeraj's hot-streak of 26 top-two finishes since 2021 Kourtane Games - the event that immediately preceded his historic gold medal at Tokyo 2020, ended with a dissapointing eighth place finish at the marquee event with his best throw being a mere 84.03 m.

The last time an Indian superstar had finished outside the top three in a competition was the 2018 Continental Cup in Czechia, when he finished sixth.

"I do not understand what happened today. This has not happened for a long time," Neeraj Chopra admitted after the competition, as quoted by Olympics.com.

"I had some problems before coming to Tokyo. Two weeks ago, I had some back issues, but I did not want to tell anyone. I was thinking I would still manage to get through it. But javelin is really tough. If you are not in a good shape, you are out," he added.

Neeraj, who became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the World Championships two years back in Budapest, said that he will take his learnings from a rare setback.

"It is OK. I will learn from today. Maybe I need more training or to improve my technique. Maybe I just need more time for training. But it is life, it is sport. I have to accept it and move on," he added.

Neeraj also said that competing on two successive days, having played qualifers on Wednesday, put excess strain on him.

"Competing two days in a row was not a problem. It was OK because I qualified yesterday with my first throw. It was not too far, but I was thinking it was still good, and that I could throw further today. I will go back to my room, watch the competition and check on my throws. I will work on it," the two-time Olympic medallist said.

The world javelin title went to Trinidad and Tobago's Keshorn Walcott, who managed the best throw of 88.16 m, marking his first World Championship gold 13 years after his Olympic triumph in London. At the second spot was Anderson Peters, the 2024 Olympics bronze medallist with a best throw of 87.38 m, followed by America's Curtis Thompson with a throw of 86.67 m.

Fans could not get the best of the India-Pakistan rivalry between Neeraj and Arshad Nadeem, as Neeraj finished eighth with a best throw of 84.03 m, while the Olympic champion Nadeem ended at tenth with an 82.73 m throw as his best.

In the first round, Julian Weber kick-started the proceedings with a throw of 83.63. Neeraj Chopra, the defending champion, started his defence with a throw of 83.65 m, while his arch-rival and Pakistan's Olympic champion, Arshad Nadeem, started with a throw of 82.73 m. However, Curtis Thompson took a lead with 86.67 m. For India, a young Sachin Yadav showed off with a fine throw of 86.27 m, outdoing Neeraj. At the end of the first round, Thompson was in the lead, followed by Sachin, Anderson Peters, at 84.59 m, and Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, in fourth with 84.38 m. Neeraj was in the fifth spot.

In the second round, Weber did much better with a throw of 86.11 m, but Anderson's 87.38 m became a new benchmark to be overcome as he took the lead. Neeraj's second throw was 84.03 m. Sachin's second throw turned out to be a foul; however, he managed to stay at fourth spot behind Keshorn Walcott, who took a lead in round 2 with a throw of 87.83 m, and Peters and Thompson. Neeraj was way behind in the seventh spot, still searching for that monster throw. Nadeem was in the ninth spot. It was an unusual situation for Neeraj at the end of the second round, who often occupied the podium right from the start.

Starting the third round, Weber fouled, while Peters managed just 82.83 m. Nadeem's javelin covered a distance of 82.75 m, while Neeraj fouled out. However, Julius Yego, who had won the world title way back in 2015, had to leave because of a groin injury. Sachin threw another 85-plus throw, touching 85.71 m. At the end of round three, Neeraj was in the eighth spot, while Sachin was in fourth, below Keshron, Peters and Thompson.

Nadeem started the fourth round with a foul; he could not improve on his best throw and ended his campaign at the 10th spot. Neeraj's struggles continued as he threw 82.66. Sachin's fourth throw was 84.90 m, keeping him in fourth place only. Keshorn extended his lead with a massive throw of 88.16 m. At the end of the fourth round, Keshorn, Peters and Thompson held the top three spots.

In the fifth round, Neeraj was finally out, as he could not improve on his best finish, finishing in eighth spot. India's hopes of medals rested on Sachin, who managed 85.96 m on his fifth attempt and stayed in the hunt at fourth spot. In the final round, Sachin managed a throw of 80.95, finishing in fourth place.

Other than this event, the Indian superstar has enjoyed a spectacular 2025 season. Chopra 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. The reigning javelin throw champion stood triumphant with 86.18m.

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 ever, with a throw of 90.23 m.

He also went on to secure a second spot in the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland later that month and 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 at Zurich. (ANI)

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