India at World Athletics Championships 2025 Day 7 Highlights: Gulveer Singh narrowly misses final; Annu Rani fails to cross 60m in women's javelin

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After a heartbreaking Thursday, two Indian athletes will be in action on Day 7 of the World Athletics Championships 2025. Annu Rani and Gulveer Singh will be the Indians in action on Friday in Tokyo.

While the 33-year-old Anu Rani, who is competing in her fifth World Championships, will participate in the women’s javelin throw qualification, Gulveer will compete in the men’s 5000m heats.

Reigning Asian Games champion, Annu will hope to reach the women’s javelin final by breaching the 62.50m qualification mark, which is slightly below her season beat of 62.59m and way behind her Personal Best of 63.82m which is also the Indian national record.

Also Read: ‘Belief wasn’t there!’ – Was Neeraj Chopra injured during men’s javelin throw final at World Athletics Championships 2025?

Meanwhile, Gulveer Singh, who is making his World Championships debut, will hope to forget his performance in the men’s 10000m final earlier in this edition of the World Athletics Championships where he finished 16th with a timing of 29:13.13s.

The 27-year-old is in heat 2 and will have to finish within the top eight to qualify for the final. He holds the national record in men’s 5000m at 12:59.77s.

India’s schedule on Day 7 of World Athletics Championships 2025

• 4 pm: Annu Rani (Women’s Javelin Throw, Qualification Group A)
• 4:30 pm: Gulveer Singh (Men’s 5000m, Heat 2)

Also Read: India at World Athletics Championships 2025 Day 6 Highlights & Replay

How Day 6 unfolded for India at World Athletics Championships 2025?

India endured its worst-ever heartbreak on Thursday as Neeraj Chopra failed to defend his men’s javelin throw title on Day 6 of the World Athletics Championships 2025, bowing out of the multi-sport athletics event after an evening of struggle and disappointment.

However, it was not all gloomy, as Sachin Yadav emerged as the silver lining with his fourth-place finish in the men’s javelin throw final. Sachin, 25, smashed his Personal Best twice to end the final ahead of Chopra in the standings.

Elsewhere, Pooja Olla also recorded a new PB although it wasn’t enough to land her a place in the women’s 800m semi-finals. Pooja finished last (7th) in her heats and 32nd overall with a timing of 2:01.03s.

Neeraj, who is a two-time medallist at the world stage, finished eighth in the final—the first time he has finished outside a podium place since 2018 and outside the top two for the first time since Tokyo Olympics 2021.

Incidentally it is at Tokyo where Chopra’s seven-year stint of finishing outside the top two ends, the same stage where he won his first senior major title (Olympic Gold).

The reigning champion entered the men’s javelin throw final with high expectations, having qualified on Wednesday with an 84.85m throw in his very first attempt. But on Thursday, the 27-year-old struggled to find the rhythm.

Chopra’s opening attempt of 83.65m was below par, and although he improved slightly to 84.03m in his second, it remained his best of the night.

Neeraj Chopra fails to defend his title at World Championships!! ❌💔After struggling all evening, Chopra finished 8th with a best attempt of 84.03m.#WCHTokyo25 #JavelinThrow pic.twitter.com/osTM5OPY1e

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) September 18, 2025

The third was a foul, the fourth dropped to 82.86m, and his final two chances produced another foul and a no-improvement.

Chopra eventually finished eighth, ending his medal streak that stretched back to 2018.

It marked the first-time since 2018 that the Indian javelin ace finished out of the top three place in men’s javelin.

Also Read: Neeraj Chopra’s podium streak ends, Sachin Yadav smashes personal best

On the other hand, young Sachin Yadav—making his debut at the World—produced the throw of his life, a personal best of 86.27m in his very first attempt. For a while, it stood as the second best.

But at the end, Yadav was edged out of the podium. His throws (foul, 84.90m, 85.96m, 80.95m) could not surpass his opener, leaving him in fourth place.

Meanwhile, on the track, Pooja clocked a personal best of 2:01.03 in the women’s 800m heats. But she could not qualify for the semi-finals finishing seventh in her race.

Earlier in the tournament, she had also competed in the 1500m, running 4:13.75 to place 11th in her heat. Now, her campaign finally ends.

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