Neeraj Chopra’s best throws: Know the Indian javelin ace’s personal bests
Neeraj Chopra’s Olympic gold medal-winning throw of 87.58m at Tokyo 2020 is 2.36m short of his personal best. Get full list.
Every time Neeraj Chopra picks up a javelin, the whole of India holds its breath.
The Indian javelin throw ace, too, seldom disappoints, winning medals and setting new records with staggering consistency.
One of the highlights of Neeraj Chopra’s eventful career so far has been his gold medal win at Tokyo 2020.
With a best throw of 87.58m in the finals, Neeraj Chopra, in his early twenties, became the first Indian track and field athlete to win Olympic gold and only the second Indian, after shooter Abhinav Bindra, to win an individual gold medal at the Summer Games.
Even Neeraj Chopra’s second-best throw of 87.03m at the Japan National Stadium during the Tokyo 2020 men’s javelin throw finals would have been enough for the top podium finish. Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch won the silver with a throw of 86.67m.
Interestingly, the 87.58m Olympic gold-winning throw, as significant as it may have been, isn’t Neeraj Chopra’s personal best. In fact, it doesn't even make the top 10.
Neeraj Chopra’s best throw is 89.94m, achieved at the Stockholm Diamond League in Sweden on June 30, 2022. The mark stands as the men’s national record in India and Neeraj Chopra’s personal best.
His three next best throws came in a period of two weeks in 2024. His second best throw of 89.49m earned him second place at the Lausanne Diamond League while next two, 89.45m and 89.34m, came during the Lausanne Diamond League javelin throw final and qualifcation event, respectively, at the Paris 2024 Olympics. His throw in the final in Paris fetched him a silver, making him the most successful individual Indian Olympian.
The previous three national records -- 89.30m at the Paavo Nurmi Games 2022, 88.07m at the 2021 Indian Grand Prix 3 in Patiala and 88.06m at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta -- also belonged to Neeraj Chopra.
Neeraj Chopra's best at the World Athletics Championships came during the qualification round at Budapest 2023, where he threw an 88.77m. His effort in the 2022 final measured 88.13m, which earned India an historic silver. At the 2023 world championships, Neeraj Chopra threw the javelin 88.17m to win another historic medal, this time a gold, for India.
Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal at the IAAF World U20 Championships 2016 in Bydgoszcz, Poland. This effort, which helped Chopra grab world attention, came on the back of an 86.48m attempt, an under-20 world record!
The Indian ace’s gold-medal winning effort at the Commonwealth Games 2018, meanwhile, measured slightly shorter at 86.47m.
Here’s a list of Neeraj Chopra’s best throws to date.
Neeraj Chopra’s best throws