Top five athletes to watch at Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025

While Neeraj Chopra will certainly be the headline act, there are other top stars who will be in action.

The Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 is set to take center stage at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, Karnataka, on July 5. Originally scheduled for May 24, the javelin throw event was postponed to a July date due to heightened tensions between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.

Set to host its inaugural edition, the NC Classic meet will witness the presence of many prominent javelin throwers from all-over the world in India, making it the biggest athletics event ever held in the country. A 12-member field will be competing at the first edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic featuring Olympic and World Championships medalists.

With that, let’s look at the top five athletes to watch out for who will be competing in the event:

Athletes to watch at Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025

Sachin Yadav (India)

Sachin Yadav has gained recent recognition for his heroics at the Asian Athletics Championships, where he contributed to India’s overall second-place finish. He clinched the gold medal at the continental meet with a personal best throw of 85.16m. With the event taking place in his home country, and his familiarity with the conditions, Yadav stands as a strong contender for a podium finish.

Also Read: Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025: How to buy tickets for upcoming javelin event?

Cyprian Mrzyglód (Poland)

Cyprian Mrzyglód, who has replaced two-time world champion Anderson Peters due to the latter’s injury, is another athlete to watch out for at the Neeraj Chopra Classic. A former European U23 and U20 gold medalist, Mrzyglód achieved a personal best of 85.92m recently on June 21 this year and will start as a podium contender at the event.

Thomas Rohler (Germany)

Thomas Röhler is one of the biggest names who set to feature at the Neeraj Chopra Classic. With a personal best of 93.90m, he ranks third on the all-time javelin list, behind only Jan Železný (98.48m) and Johannes Vetter (97.76m).

Although the Rio Olympics 2016 gold medalist is no longer in his prime form, Röhler is the most prominent name at the meet besides Neeraj Chopra. So far, he has a season best of 80.79m, which he will be looking to improve on at the meeting in Bengaluru.

Also Read: Why is Kishore Kumar Jena not competing in Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025?

Luiz Maurício da Silva (Brazil)

Brazil’s Luiz Maurício da Silva has been one of the most consistent javelin throwers this season, with all his throws surpassing the 80-meter mark. However, his season best came at Paris Diamond League where he recorded 86.62m, a national record, to place third. This makes him a serious threat as he takes the stage at Neeraj Chopra Classic.

Earlier this year, the 25-year-old registered an 86.34m throw, which earned him the top spot at the Kip Keino Classic. With that, he secured a dominant victory at the meet, with second-placed Thomas Röhler falling well short with a throw of 80.79m.

Neeraj Chopra (India)

The spotlight at the event will be on Neeraj Chopra, after whom the event has been named. In a nation that has long been dominated by cricket, Chopra made headlines with his remarkable performance in the javelin throw at the Tokyo Olympics on August 7, 2021, when he scripted history for the nation by winning its first-ever gold medal in track and field with a throw of 87.58m.

In a bid to defend his Olympic title at the Paris Olympics, Chopra missed out on the gold medal but earned a silver for his country with an impressive 89.45m throw. In the 2025 season, the 27-year-old once again has impressed by breaking the national record with a 90.23m throw at the Doha Diamond League, crossing the 90m mark for the first time in his career.

Also Read: Neeraj Chopra’s top five career best throws in men’s javelin

With that, Neeraj Chopra stands as a formidable competitor at the event taking place on Saturday. He has also maintained remarkable consistency this season, finishing in the top two at every meet he has competed in.

His results include throws of 85.29m at the Ostrava Golden Spike, 88.16m at the Paris Diamond League, 84.14m at the Janusz Kusociński Memorial and 84.52m at the Potch Invitational Meet, in addition to his performance in Doha.

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