Why is Neeraj Chopra not competing at Asian Athletics Championships 2025?

Neeraj Chopra was last in action at JK Memorial Athletics meet in Poland on May 23.

Neeraj Chopra will not compete in the men’s javelin throw event at the Asian Athletics Championships 2025 after the Indian athlete skipped the 28th National Federation Senior Athletics Competition in Kochi last month. The national event served as the qualification pathway for the ongoing Asian Athletics Championships taking place in Gumi, Republic of Korea.

In Neeraj’s absence, Yash Vir Singh and Sachin Yadav will carry the responsibilities on their shoulders. Yash will compete in the men’s javelin throw Qualification A round along with the likes of Olympic record holder Arshad Nadeem. The 24-year-old Indian athlete has a personal best of 82.13m and a season best of 80.85m.

Meanwhile, Sachin Yadav will be in action in the men’s javelin throw Qualification B round. He is among the favourites to return home with a medal. The 26-year-old javelin thrower has a season and personal best of 84.39m.

The Qualification A round will take place at 6:45 am IST, while the Qualification B event is slated to commence at 8:00 am IST on May 30 (Friday).

Also Read: Asian Athletics Championships 2025: Medal Tally and India’s medal winners

When will Neeraj Chopra be in action next?

Neeraj Chopra will return to action at the Ostrava Golden Spike Athletics meeting in the Czech Republic on June 24. The event in the European nation will be his fourth event in the 2025 season. He will later compete in the 2025 World Athletics Championships and the postponed Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 javelin throw meet, which is likely to be held in July.

Chopra’s season best is 90.23m, which he registered at the Doha Diamond League 2025 in Qatar on May 16. The throw saw him not only breach the elusive 90m mark for the first time but also helped the Indian athlete set a new National Record in the event.

Also Read: Neeraj Chopra’s top five career best throws in men’s javelin

He started the 2025 season with an 84.52m throw at the Potch Invitational Meet on April 16 in South Africa. The two-time Olympic champion was last seen in action on May 23 at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial Athletics Meet in Poland. He finished second in the tournament behind Julian Weber, courtesy of a best throw of 84.14m.

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