On the evening of May 16, 2025, Neeraj Chopra, India’s javelin sensation, achieved a long-cherished dream at the Doha Diamond League by crossing the 90m mark with an impressive throw of 90.23m. The 27-year-old Olympic hero accomplished this milestone on his third attempt, rewriting the national record (previously 89.94m, set in 2022) and becoming the first Indian—and third Asian—to join the elite 90m club, a group that includes just 25 throwers in history.

The stadium in Doha erupted as the javelin soared past the 90m line, a barrier Neeraj had been chasing for years after several near-misses in the 89m range. Working with his new coach, Jan Zelezny—a javelin icon and the current world record holder—Neeraj has fine-tuned his technique, particularly his release and follow-through. He later shared that these adjustments gave him the edge he needed to finally break through.

However, the victory came with a twist. Despite his record-breaking throw, Neeraj had to settle for second place. Germany’s Julian Weber stunned the crowd with a final-round throw of 91.06m, also crossing 90m for the first time in his career. Anderson Peters from Grenada secured third with a 84.65m effort. Neeraj described the night as a mix of joy and disappointment, proud of his achievement but frustrated to miss the top spot by a mere 0.83m.

Looking ahead, Neeraj is already setting his sights on the 2025 World Championships in September. With Zelezny’s guidance, he’s been focusing on building explosive power and consistency in training, aiming to make 90m-plus throws a regular occurrence. “This is just the beginning,” Neeraj said, his eyes set on greater distances. Given his track record of rarely finishing off the podium, the javelin world knows Neeraj Chopra is far from finished. India’s pride is ready to soar even higher.