Neeraj Chopra Won the Gold Medal With a Throw of 84.52m at the Potchefstroom Invitational in South Africa.

Neeraj Chopra Won the Gold Medal: Double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra began his 2025 season with an 84.52m throw at the Potchefstroom Invitational in South Africa on Wednesday. His performance ensured a gold medal, topping the six-men field in a crucial year for world athletics.

Neeraj Chopra outperformed 25-year-old South African javelin thrower Dou Smit, who achieved a best throw of 82.44m. The Indian athlete impressed with several powerful throws in this early-season competition, with only he and Smit crossing the 80m mark. The third-best performance was recorded by local competitor Duncan Robertson, who threw 71.22m.

Though Neeraj’s throw was slightly short of his personal best of 89.94m, it marked a strong start while Smit equalled his own record of 83.29m. Neeraj’s upcoming important event is the Doha Diamond League on May 16, where he will face strong rivals.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Neeraj Chopra won the silver medal with a throw of 89.45m while Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won the gold by setting a new Olympic record of 92.97m. As the season progresses, the focus will be on Neeraj to see if he can surpass Nadeem’s record and extend his iconic career.

(Inputs from sportstar.thehindu.com)

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