Neeraj Chopra breaks 90m barrier with throw of 90.23 in Doha Diamond League

Neeraj Chopra finally broke the 90m barrier for the first time in his career, with a throw of 90.23 at the Doha Diamond League.

Two Olympic medals, two World Championship medals, honours at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games but for a long time, falling short of the 90m mark nagged away at the Indian’s storied legacy. That changed on a windy Friday in Doha.

His maiden 90m attempt bettered his own national record mark of 89.94m, which he registered in the Stockholm Diamond League in June, 2022.

After showing promise early on at the junior level, the 26-year-old announced his arrival among the sport’s very best when he won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He followed it up with a silver in the 2024 edition in Paris, with a 89.45m effort.

Along with the Olympics, Neeraj is a double medallist at the World Championships (winning it in 2023) and the Asian Games. He has won the Diamond League Final once.

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The 90.23m throw, which came during Neeraj’s third attempt during the Javelin final in Doha, is also now India’s National Record mark.

With six attempts over 89m and 17 above the 88m mark before his 90m feat in Doha, Neeraj has been one of the most consistent throwers in the circuit. However, he found himself constantly addressing the 90m question before major events.

Here’s what he has said about the erstwhile 90m hurdle over the past few seasons:

“It’s not a new thing to compete against people who have thrown that distance. What matters is what you can throw on that day. I am excited to get a chance to compete against them. The more they throw in competition, the more fun it becomes. When we are competing together, the main factor that determines the winner is who handles the situation on that day better than the others.”

Not worried about others throwing 90m, I’ve beaten them at the Olympics and Worlds

“I believe the previous discussion about throwing 90m was much better. I don’t even want to think about getting an injury.”

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