Neeraj Chopra's defence of his World title ended in bitter disappointment as the Indian two-time Olympic medallist finished a humbling eighth, struggling for rhythm and failing to produce his best in the javelin throw final in the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Thursday.
Chopra could only produce a best effort of 84.03m, nowhere close to his personal best of 90.23m, which he achieved earlier in the season in Doha. But the event also proved there was much hope for future medals for India as 23-year-old Sachin Yadav stunned everyone by finishing a sensational fourth in his maiden outing in the World Championship, narrowly missing the bronze medal by a mere 40 centimetres at the Japan National Stadium here.
Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago bagged the World Champion title 13 years after winning the Olympic gold in 2012 London Games with his season's best rhrow of 88.16 while two-time World Champion Anderson Peters of Granada taking silver at 87.38m and Curtis Thompson bagging the bronze, the first World Championship medal for the United States in javelin throw in 18 years, with a best effort of 88.67m.
Yadav, who threw consistently well unlike his more famous compatriot, the 2023 World Champion and the 2020 Olympic gold medallist, finished fourth with 86.27m -- missing by a mere 0.40 m, bagging a medal in only his second international outing.
However, the 23-year-old gained a lot of experience with his performance, which will definitely benefit him in the future. While Chopra finished eighth, Pakistan's Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, who has recently returned after surgery, ended 10th with a best throw of 82.75m. Germany's season leader, Julien Webber, ended sixth with 85.54m.
It was a night unlike any witnessed by top javelin throwers in recent times. There was a slight drizzle and a stiff breeze, which was ideal for performing at the top of one's abilities, but a bit difficult.
And the competition turned things upside down from the first round itself as three of the biggest throwers in the last couple of seasons Julien Webber of Germany (91.51m), Neeraj Chopra (90.23), and Arshad Nadeem, who claimed the Olympic gold at Paris with a massive throw of 92.97m all found themselves among the laggards.
Chopra started with 83.65m, Nadeem was at 82.73m, while Webber started with 83.63. Yadav produced a great throw on the first turn, reaching 86.27m, smashing his personal best, and was placed third behind Peters and Thompson.
Their hopes of moving up the standings in the subsequent rounds did not materialise as the three stars continued to struggle to produce their best performance. At the end of the second round, Chopra was in eighth place after hurling the spear to 84.03 m in his second turn; Nadeem was 11th with 82.73, and Webber moved up to fifth with 86.11m on his second turn.
Yadav fouled his second throw and slipped to fourth. Nadeem survived the first cut as Jakub Vadlejch of Czechia and Cameron McEntyre of Australia crashed out. Nadeem was out in the next round with a foul. Chopra, who won a World Championship gold medal in 2023 at Belgrade and a silver in 2022 in Eugene, USA, fouled his third and fifth throws and dropped out after the next round.
His return to the venue of his most famous triumph the Tokyo Olympic Games, which were conducted in 2021 because of the COVID-19 outbreak-- ended in disappointment. Chopra walked to the end of the runway and spoke briefly with his coach, the legendary Jan Zelezny, the World record holder, before waiting for Sachin Yadav to complete his last throw and congratulating him on a superb outing.
Sachin Yadav continued to me in medal contention as he produced throws of 84.90 and 85.96 before finishing the event with a modest 80.95m in his sixth and final throw. However, it was a night to remember for Yadav and Indian javelin throw fans as the 25-year-old from Uttar Pradesh produced fifth throws better than his more illustrious compatriot.
Walcott took the lead in round two with 87.83m, then threw farther in round four with 88.16m, which ensured he stayed at the top of the pile till the end, winning his second global title in the men’s javelin.
Two-time world champion Anderson Peters claimed silver with his second-round throw of 87.38m, and USA’s Curtis Thompson earned a surprise bronze with 86.67m. Kenya's Julius Yego was in medal contention till the halfway stage but could not complete the event due to a hamstring injury, finishing sixth with 85.64m.