Neeraj Chopra to compete in new javelin throw meet in Panchkula: Report

This is Neeraj Chopra’s first event in India in almost a year.

According to reports, Neeraj Chopra is all set to compete in a global event on home soil. He will compete in the Neeraj Chopra Classic in Panchkula, Haryana on May 24. This will be his first competition in India after more than a year, this one-day competition, named in his honour, will be held at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium.

The meet is a World Athletics Category A event, with the same ranking weight as a Continental Tour Gold-level event, making it the biggest javelin event ever in India. Chopra, who won gold at Tokyo 2020 and silver at Paris 2024, is also the organizer of JSW Sports.

This competition marks Chopra’s return to India for the first time since he threw 82.27m at the Bhubaneswar Federation Cup in May 2024; it takes place eight days before his anticipated Doha Diamond League competition on May 16, 2025.

World Athletics announced the event on Thursday after months of planning with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). Organizers hope to make it a permanent fixture on the global calendar. This competition will also be a qualifier for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, though Chopra has already qualified as the reigning world champion.

Chopra is recovering from a back injury he suffered last season and that’s why he could play very few matches. He began pre-season training in Potchefstroom, South Africa in November 2024 and got married in Solan, Himachal Pradesh in January. Currently, he is training under Czech legend Jan Zelezny, a three-time Olympic champion and world record holder.

India has stepped up its athletics calendar in 2025. The country recently hosted the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in New Delhi and will host its first-ever Para Athletics World Championships later this year. Another World Athletics Continental Tour bronze-level meet is scheduled on August 10 in Bhubaneswar under the Indian Open banner.

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