Five Neeraj Chopra streaks broken by his eighth-place finish at World Athletics Championships

Neeraj Chopra endured a difficult evening in Tokyo, finishing eighth in the men’s javelin final.

India’s hopes for a medal at the World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo came crashing down on Thursday as Neeraj Chopra finished eighth in the men’s javelin final. But it wasn’t just a medal lost, the night also saw several long-standing records broken in dramatic fashion.

Chopra, India’s golden boy and defending champion, could only manage an eighth-place finish with a best throw of 84.03m. It wasn’t enough to secure a podium place for the first time in many years, ending his incredible streak at global championships.

The result left Neeraj visibly frustrated. In a rare outburst of emotion, he was seen tearing off his back belt and screaming in frustration after his fifth attempt ended in a foul. His series included an opening throw of 83.65m, a second attempt of 84.03m, a fourth attempt of 82.86m, and two fouls.

Also Read: Neeraj Chopra injury revealed: AFI confirms javelin ace was not fully fit during final – Report

Following are the five streaks of Neeraj Chopra that were broken at World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo, the same city where the Indian had won his gold Olympics medal.

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

Neeraj Chopra’s record streaks shattered in Tokyo

1. Top two finishes for 26 consecutive competitions

For 26 straight events, Neeraj Chopra finished on the podium, either first or second. Since his Olympic gold medal in Tokyo 2021 and prior to World Athletics Championships 2025, the Haryana-born javelin star participated in twenty-six competitions and delivered a performance worthy of either gold or silver.

This streak includes two medals at World Championships—silver in 2022 and gold in 2023, silver medal at Paris Olympics 2024 and a Diamond League final win in 2024.

2. Podium finishes in 33 consecutive tournaments

It’s been over seven years since Neeraj Chopra last finished outside the podium in any javelin event. For 33 tournaments, stretching back 2,566 days to September 2018, he always found a way to deliver and stand on the podium.

To put it simply, if Neeraj was competing, he was coming home with a either gold, silver or bronze. The last time he missed the podium was at the 2018 IAAF Continental Cup before his eighth-place finish in Tokyo.

It's not how I had hoped to end the season, at the World Championships in Tokyo. I wanted to step out there and give my best for India despite all the challenges but it wasn't my night. I'm really happy for Sachin, who threw a personal best and almost brought home a medal.… pic.twitter.com/OUcF4Mghrm

— Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) September 19, 2025

3. Back-to-back medals at World Championships

One of the incredible milestones in Neeraj Chopra’s career is the back-to-back World Championships medals, making him only Indian to achieve such a feat. Neeraj started with a silver medal win in the 2022 edition—he was only the second Indian ever to win a medal at the world stage.

He then followed it with a historic gold in Hungary 2023, becoming the first Indian and first Asian to win javelin gold at the World Athletics Championships.

However, the two medal streak at the Worlds was halted on Thursday in Tokyo.

Before him, the only other Indian to ever make it to a World Championships podium was Anju Bobby George, who won bronze in the long jump at Paris 2003.

Also Read: List of Indian medalists at World Athletics Championships

4. Falling Short of the 85-Meter Mark

Neeraj is known for launching the javelin stick past that 85-meter line with what looks like effortless power. His best throw on Thursday, 84.03 meters, is a distance many would dream of, but it’s uncharacteristic for him.

Compare that to his silver-medal-winning throw of 89.45 meters at the Paris Olympics in 2024 and the 90.03m throw at Doha Diamond League. It was the first time since early 2024 that he failed to breach that 85-meter benchmark in a major final.

5. Never defeated by an Indian in senior’s events

Before the World Athletics Championships on September 18, 2025, no Indian athlete had ever beaten Neeraj Chopra in a senior-level competition. However, on Thursday in Tokyo, it wasn’t Neeraj but Sachin Yadav who came closest to leading India to the podium.

The 25-year-old produced a career personal best throw of 86.27m on his first attempt, putting him in contention for a medal for a while.

Unfortunately, in the end, Curtis Thompson of the USA claimed the bronze with 86.67m, just 40cm ahead. Yadav’s best throw of the night was 2.23m farther than Neeraj’s best of 84.03m.

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