Neeraj Chopra begins 2025 season with 84.52m throw in South Africa
Two-time Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra started his season with a throw of 84.52m at a low-key, invitational event in South Africa. Chopra ended on top of the six thrower field. While little details are available of the other throws Neeraj had on the night, this marks Neeraj’s first competition in 2025.
Neeraj’s throw came at the Potch Invitational Meet, which was being held at the McArthur Stadium in South Africa’s Potchefstroom. Behind Neeraj was 25-year-old South Africa’s Douw Smit, who recorded a best throw of 82.44m, and Duncan Robertson, who touched 71.22m. Neeraj’s throw at Potchefstroom is India’s best throw in 2025: the World Athletics topl for 2025 has an 84.39m effort from Sachin Yadav and an 80.47m heave from Rohit Yadav led as India’s best throws so far in 2025.
WATCH: Neeraj Chopra’s first competitive throw of 2024
Season opener 84.52 m @Neeraj_chopra1 good start!!! pic.twitter.com/yWmXdGMU
— TZA Throwing Zone Athletics (@MichaelMMG71) April 16, 2025
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The track and field star will be in action at the Diamond League in Doha in exactly a month’s time.
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“With just one month to go for the Doha Diamond League, Neeraj Chopra kickstarts his season in style – winning the Potch Invitational Meet in South Africa with a solid throw of 84.52m! The champion’s chase begins,” posted Inspire Institute of Sport on their social media handles.
The 27-year-old is competing this season under a new coach after he and Dr Klaus Bartonietz parted ways. Neeraj and Bartonietz had worked together to claim a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and a silver at the Paris Olympics. The duo had also combined to win multiple Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and World Athletics Championships medals.
Neeraj will be working with javelin legend Jan Zelezny for the 2025 season. Zelezny, who currently holds the world record for the farthest javelin throw in hory, had trained both the Czech Republic javelin throwers who finished behind Neeraj on the podium at the Tokyo Olympics.
This season, Neeraj will be hoping to better his personal best throw of 89.94m and finally breach the 90m mark.
