At the Doha Diamond League on Friday, Neeraj Chopra finally achieved his long-awaited milestone of crossing the 90-meter mark, registering a personal best throw of 90.23 meters. With this historic effort, he became the third Asian and 25th athlete in the world to breach the prestigious 90-meter barrier in javelin. However, the day brought mixed emotions. Despite this career-defining throw, Chopra had to settle for silver, as Germany’s Julian Weber clinched gold with an outstanding throw of 92.04 meters.
Gold Slips Away Despite the Big Throw
Neeraj Chopra threw an impressive distance, but Julian Weber went even further, breaking Neeraj’s record and winning the gold. Neeraj had to settle for the silver medal. Later, he spoke about how his coach, Jan Železný, had always supported him. He shared that his coach had told him, “Today, you will achieve your target,” which gave him confidence.
Neeraj described the experience as bittersweet—proud of crossing the 90-meter mark, but disappointed not to win gold. He congratulated Weber on his victory, acknowledging that it was Weber’s first time crossing 90 meters as well. Neeraj also recalled how similar situations had happened before, such as in Turku and Stockholm, where he threw 89.9 meters but still finished second.
Julian Weber, reflecting on his win, said he could hardly believe what had happened and that he would keep watching the moment again and again. He mentioned that the past few weeks had been difficult for him, so he wasn’t expecting this result. Weber also congratulated Neeraj for achieving the 90-meter milestone and said it was special that both of them reached that mark on the same day.
Crossing 90m: A Rare Achievement
Neeraj Chopra has officially entered the elite club of javelin throwers who have crossed the 90-metre mark. With his throw of 90.23 metres, he became the 25th athlete in history to achieve this milestone. Just moments later, Germany’s Julian Weber joined him as the 26th, with a winning throw of 92.04 metres.
Germany now leads the world with the highest number of athletes who have crossed the 90m mark. Finland follows with four, and the Czech Republic has two, including the legendary Jan Železný, who still holds the world record at 98.48 metres. Other countries represented in this elite list include Russia, Greece, the USA, Great Britain, Latvia, Estonia, Chinese Taipei, Norway, Trinidad and Tobago, and Pakistan.
With Neeraj’s achievement, India has now joined this prestigious list. In all-time rankings, Neeraj currently stands at 24th place, while Julian Weber is positioned at 17th, marking a proud moment for both athletes and their nations.
Neeraj Chopra becomes the third Asian to reach the mark
Neeraj Chopra also becomes the 3rd Asian athlete to ever cross the 90 meter mark in javelin throw, joining an elite list that includes Chao-Tsun Cheng of Chinese Taipei and Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan. Cheng was the first, throwing 91.36 meters in 2017, while Arshad made history at the 2022 Commonwealth Games with a 90.18m throw, becoming the first South Asian to achieve the feat. Arshad further cemented his legacy by winning gold at the Paris Olympics with a massive 92.97m throw, while Neeraj secured the silver. With his 90.23m throw, Neeraj also become one of the three Asian to ever cross the 90 m length.
Neeraj Chopra’s Rise to Fame
Neeraj Chopra, Hailing from a farming family in Panipat, Haryana, first made his mark by setting a 68.4 m record at the 2012 National Junior Athletics Championship in Lucknow. In 2013, he debuted internationally at the World Youth Championships in Donetsk, finishing 19th with 66.75 m, then claimed his first global medal—a Youth Olympic silver—in Bangkok, 2014. Neeraj Chopra went on to hold the junior javelin world record and achieved a phenomenal podium streak of 24 consecutive competitions since 2020. At the Tokyo Olympics, he became the first Asian to win Olympic gold in javelin, a feat he repeated at the Asian Championships.
In Doha 2025, his 90.23 m throw made him the third Asian ever past 90 m—after Chao-Tsun Cheng (91.36 m in 2017) and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem (90.18 m in 2022)—and extended India’s legacy in the sport.
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