Fresh off his victory at the Paris Diamond League, India’s golden boy Neeraj Chopra took the field at the Ostrava Golden Spike in the Czechia – a World Athletics Gold level meet. Competing in the homeland of his legendary coach Jan Železný, Neeraj delivered a dominant performance to clinch the men’s javelin throw title.
The reigning world champion sealed the top spot with a throw of 85.29m which he achieved in his third attempt. South Africa’s Douw Smit sprang a surprise by finishing second with a personal best of 84.12m ahead of two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, who secured third place with a throw of 83.63m.
Neeraj Chopra, having already surpassed the coveted 90m barrier, had aimed for a stronger throw at Ostrava. Despite winning the title with a best throw of 85.29m, he expressed disappointment at not being able to push the mark further. Speaking to the broadcasters he said , “I am not that happy with my performance today, but I am very happy with the trophy I won,” said Chopra as quoted by PTI.
Neeraj grew up idolising the legendary Železný, the world record holder and now his coach, and watching the Golden Spike meet on television as a young boy, he was mesmerised by icons like Železný and Usain Bolt dominating this meet.
“As a kid, I used to watch the Golden Spike meet a lot. I saw legends like Jan Železný and Usain Bolt winning there and I always dreamed of doing the same one day. That dream has finally come true. Javelin throw is really popular in Czechia, and the crowd’s support was incredible. I just wish I had performed a bit better for them.” said Neeraj.
He began his campaign at the Ostrava Golden Spike 2025 with a foul on his first attempt. He bounced back with a solid 83.45m in his second throw, but Smit surprised everyone by taking the lead with an 84.12m effort in the same round. Neeraj responded with an 85.29m throw in his third attempt, reclaiming the top spot. He followed it up with 82.17m in his fourth, 81.01m in his fifth, and ended with another foul in his final attempt. Ultimately, Neeraj’s third throw proved more than enough to seal the title, as no other athlete could breach the 85m mark.
This victory marks Neeraj’s second consecutive win and his third overall of the 2025 season. It also extends his incredible streak to 24 consecutive top 2 finishes, making it the third longest streak in javelin history, behind only Železný (33) and Sergey Makarov (25).
India’s golden boy will next compete at the inaugural NC Classic, a meet named after him, which will be held on July 5 at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. The event is being organised in partnership with Neeraj Chopra, JSW Sports, Athletics Federation of India and World Athletics.
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