Neeraj Chopra Clinches Gold at Potchefstroom Invitational with 84.52m Throw

Double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra kicked off his 2025 season with an impressive 84.52m throw at the Potchefstroom Invitational in South Africa on Wednesday. His performance secured the gold medal, topping a six-man field in what is a pivotal year for World Athletics.

Chopra finished well ahead of 25-year-old South African javelin thrower Douw Smit, who recorded a best throw of 82.44m. The Indian star looked sharp as he delivered some strong early-season throws, with only he and Smit crossing the 80m mark. The third-best throw came from local athlete Duncan Robertson, who reached 71.22m.

Though Neeraj’s throw was shy of his personal best of 89.94m, it was a solid opener, while Smit came close to his own mark of 83.29m.

Neeraj’s next major event is the Doha Diamond League on May 16, where he will face tougher competition. The 2024 Paris Olympics saw Neeraj earn silver with a throw of 89.45m, while Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem claimed gold with a new Olympic record of 92.97m.

As the season progresses, all eyes will be on Neeraj to see if he can challenge Nadeem’s record and continue to build on his already stellar career.