'Just the beginning…' - Neeraj Chopra reacts to his first 90m throw, second-place finish in Doha Diamond League

Julian Weber also joined Neeraj Chopra in the 90m club in Doha, throwing a massive distance of 91.06m to bag first place.

Neeraj Chopra etched his name in the history books at the Doha Diamond League 2025 with a 90.23m throw, his first-ever 90m throw in an eight-year senior career. He also bettered his own National Record of 89.49m, which he achieved in the Stockholm Diamond League 2022.

Neeraj’s performance on Friday earned him a second-place finish in the men’s javelin throw final at the Doha Diamond League 2025. Germany’s Julian Weber finished first with a 91.06m throw on his final attempt, becoming the 26th player to breach the 90m mark in men’s javelin throw.

Chopra was elated to clear the 90m mark and was happy for his rival Julian Weber too, who achieved the feat alongside the Indian athlete.

“It is a little bit bittersweet result. I am very happy for the 90m, but this second place – it actually happened to me also when I competed in Turku and in Stockholm. I threw 89.94 and I was always second. And also here. I broke the national record and got second today. But I am very happy also for Julian Weber. He threw 91 so we both broke 90m for the first time today.

“We have been trying this for so many years, so finally, we managed to get it,” Neeraj Chopra said during the post-event press conference.

Also Read: ‘The undisputed king’: How social media reacted to Neeraj Chopra clearing 90m mark for career-best throw

The 27-year-old Indian athlete was confident of registering massive throws in his upcoming competitions this season. He also spoke about having a conversation with Julian prior to the event and discussing the chances of throwing 90+.

“It was just a first competition of the year so I am confident that at the next competitions, I will throw far. I was very confident today and I expected Julian to get a massive throw as he was very consistent with his attempts. I told him that today is the day when we both can break the 90m mark. It is like a boost for us, and we will go far also next time,” Neeraj added.

Chopra also stated that he underwent coaching in South Africa under the guidance of his new coach, Jan Zelezny, who travelled with him to Doha to witness his 90m+ throw at the Doha Diamond League 2025. The Indian athlete was also happy to work with Jan and is looking forward to working on a few areas and learning some more stuff from the 58-year-old.

“I feel very good that Jan Zelezny is my coach now and we worked very hard in South Africa. We still work on few points and still learning some things. Normally, he does not go to the Diamond Leagues, but he came with me because he told me that today is the day to achieve 90m,” he concluded by saying.

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