Why is Kishore Kumar Jena not competing in Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025?

Farzan has been a sports journalist since 2020, closely following Olympic sports and kabaddi.

Published at :July 3, 2025 at 5:47 PM

Modified at :July 3, 2025 at 10:36 PM

(Courtesy : AFI)

Two star players have been ruled out of the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 due to injury.

The Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 5, at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. The NC Classic 2025 will become the first-ever Continental Tour Gold-level or A Category event to be held in India.

The tournament was originally scheduled to be played on May 24, but was postponed after the rising tensions between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. The tournament is being organised by India’s two-time Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra, in association with JSW Sports, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), and World Athletics (WA).

In the latest development, Kishore Kumar Jena has been ruled out of the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 due to an ankle injury. Jena was one of the five javelin throwers included in the initial list for the event, but will no longer be competing. Kishore Jena has not been in good form this year and would look to make a strong comeback after recovering from his injury.

Yash Vir Singh will replace the Asian Games medalist in the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025. He is currently ranked 41st in the men’s javelin throw world rankings. The Indian athlete has a personal best of 82.57m, which he registered during the recently concluded Asian Athletics Championships 2025 in Gumi, South Korea.

Anderson Peters pulls out of the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025

Grenada’s Anderson Peters has pulled out of the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 due to an ankle injury. He becomes the second player to be ruled out of the competition after India’s Kishore Jena.

Anderson Peters last competed at the Ostrava Golden Spikes Athletics Meet 2025 in Poland. He registered a best throw of 83.6m to finish third in the competition. Neeraj Chopra won the men’s javelin throw event, having topped the standings with a best effort of 85.29m

Two-time former World Champion Cyprian Mrzyglod will replace Anderson in the lineup for the event. The Polish javelin thrower also won a bronze medal during the Paris Olympics last year. He has a personal best of 85.92m heading into the NC Classic 2025.

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Mohamed Farzan

Farzan is a journalist at Khel Now covering Indian Olympic sports and kabaddi. With five years of experience working with major sports organizations like Chennaiyin FC, Dabang Delhi K.C., Rajasthan Royals, and Yuva Kabaddi Series, he brings diverse expertise. Farzan has covered two Olympics, one Commonwealth Games, and one Asian Games, making his knowledge of Indian sports broad and versatile.