Neeraj Chopra finishes fourth at Doha Diamond League but seals Commonwealth Games qualification

India's javelin star Neeraj Chopra kicked off his 2026 season with a fourth-place finish at the Doha Diamond League, while also securing qualification for the Commonwealth Games.

Chopra had finished second at the 2025 Diamond League.

Look at the final results here:

Rank	Athlete	Nation	Date of Birth	Attempt 1	Attempt 2	Attempt 3	Attempt 4	Attempt 5	Attempt 6	Best	Notes	Qualification Points	Qualification Ranking
1	Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage	Sri Lanka	21 Mar 2003	82.62	84.63	80.53	88.68	84.47	81.35	88.68	–	23	1
2	Anderson Peters	Grenada	21 Oct 1997	82.82	86.38	–	85.73	80.64	83.27	86.38	SB	22	2
3	Curtis Thompson	USA	8 Feb 1996	85.99	78.99	76.09	83.01	X	X	85.99	SB	15	3
4	Neeraj Chopra	India	24 Dec 1997	X	82.77	85.69	83.45	X	–	85.69	SB	5	7
5	Artur Felfner	Ukraine	17 Oct 2003	X	80.67	83.62	X	X	–	83.62	SB	4	8
6	Julius Yego	Kenya	4 Jan 1989	78.62	80.02	81.73	82.22	X	–	82.22	SB	9	6
7	Keshorn Walcott	Trinidad & Tobago	2 Apr 1993	81.47	80.33	X	79.02	X	–	81.47	–	13	4
8	Jakub Vadlejch	Czech Republic	10 Oct 1990	80.38	X	X	X	–	–	80.38	–	3	10
9	Mohamed Hussein	Egypt	10 Jan 2003	79.21	X	72.70	79.21	–	–	79.21	–	–	–

Key:

• SB = Season Best
• X = Foul attempt
• – = No attempt/Passed attempt

A look back at Neeraj Chopra's 2025 season

India’s star javelin thrower saw his remarkable run of consistency come to an end at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this year, finishing 8th in the final with a best effort of 84.03m. It was the first time in 26 consecutive events that Chopra failed to finish in the top two, marking a rare dip in an otherwise dominant career phase.

The result also brought an end to his extraordinary 33-event podium streak, which had begun at the 2018 All India Inter-Services Championships and stood as one of the most consistent runs in global athletics.

Despite the setback, Chopra’s 2025 season remained highly competitive and filled with standout performances. He opened the year with victory at the Potch Invitational in Potchefstroom, South Africa, before finishing second at the Doha Diamond League in May, where he created history by breaching the 90-metre mark for the first time with a throw of 90.23m. The effort not only set a new national record but also made him only the 25th male javelin thrower in history to cross the milestone.

He later went on to win the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru in July, further cementing his status as the face of Indian athletics. His season also included a runner-up finish at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland, followed by back-to-back wins at the Paris Diamond League and Ostrava Golden Spike, with best throws of 88.16m and 85.29m respectively.

In August, Chopra continued his top-tier consistency with a second-place finish at the Diamond League Final in Zurich, registering 85.01m and extending his streak of top-two finishes until the Tokyo Worlds.

Born on December 24, 1997, in Khandra village in Haryana’s Panipat district, Chopra has become one of India’s most celebrated sporting icons, bringing pride to the nation and the Armed Forces with his achievements on the global stage.

He created history at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by becoming the first Indian track-and-field athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. In recognition of his contribution to sport, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh conferred upon him the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army during a ceremony at South Block, New Delhi, attended by senior Army leadership.