'Belief wasn't there!' - Was Neeraj Chopra injured during men's javelin throw final at World Athletics Championships 2025?

Neeraj Chopra last finished outside the podium in 2018.

India’s golden boy Neeraj Chopra endured a rare heartbreak at the World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo, finishing eighth in the men’s javelin final. But what could be the reason behind it? Here’s what the two-time Olympic medallist explained.

Chopra, who was the brightest hope to end India’s medal drought in Tokyo, managed a best throw of 84.03m on the night, but admitted later that a back injury was causing discomfort in his training and performance.

Speaking after the event, Neeraj revealed that the problem began in early September. “Even before heading to Tokyo, while training, my team already knew I had an issue with my back. I had informed the federation too. Because of that, I hadn’t trained properly for two weeks,” Neeraj told NNIS Sport.

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

The 27-year-old disclosed that the injury occurred on September 4, just two days before leaving for Tokyo and has since he “didn’t have enough time for training before this event.”

“Normally, I have a belief inside me, ‘I’ll pull it out somehow.’ But today, that belief wasn’t there. Instead, I worried my problem might worsen. That doubt affected me.”

“Even when it rained, I still thought maybe I could pull one out. But the throw slipped badly from my hand. In these conditions, it gets very tough,” he said.

🗣️ "I have always tried to never give any excuses. The real reason is that I wasn’t able to train much due to back pain," said Neeraj Chopra after failing to defend his title in the Men’s Javelin Final at the #WorldAthleticsChampionships.Neeraj finished 8th in the final with a… pic.twitter.com/UmZNrHDKwe

— nnis Sports (@nnis_sports) September 18, 2025

Neeraj started with 83.65m. He improved it by 0.34m in the second attempt, which remained his best. A foul in the third was followed by a rain-affected fourth attempt that slipped to 82.86m, before another foul ended his night.

The result ended his incredible 33-medal streak that the Indian javelin ace was carrying since 2018, a run that included Olympic gold, silver, two medals at World Athletics Championships, and multiple Diamond League titles.

“Maybe I need more training or to improve my technique. But it’s life, it’s sport. I have to accept it and move on,” he added.

When asked about the scheduling that saw the men’s javelin final just the next day of the qualification where Neeraj effortlessly breached the direct qualification mark with 84.85m throw, he didn’t complain.

“Competing two days in a row was not a problem. It was okay 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,” he concluded.

Never seen Neeraj Chopra so frustrated before in any event, Tough time for him! 😣 pic.twitter.com/w71tl6g0mf

— The Khel India (@TheKhelIndia) September 18, 2025

Meanwhile, Neeraj Chopra wasn’t the only hope for India this time in Tokyo. Sachin Yadav had also qualified for the finals.

Unlike the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist, Yadav produced a throw beyond expectations – 86.27m in his very first attempt. This briefly placed him in silver-medal contention, before he eventually finished fourth, just 40cm short of bronze medalist Curtis Thompson (86.67m).

Despite, his own struggles Neeraj Chopra showered his young Indian compatriot with words of praises. “I’m really happy for Sachin. I honestly thought India would win a medal through him today. He threw so well on such a big stage. In the future, he’s going to achieve great things.”

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