Neeraj Chopra’s ascent to No. 1: Unbeaten streak & 90m throw propel him back to the top

Neeraj Chopra is back where he belongs: At the top of the world men’s javelin throw rankings.

The Indian Olympic gold medallist and world champion reclaimed the No. 1 position from Grenada’s Anderson Peters after a dominant run on the 2025 international circuit.

Chopra had lost the top spot to Peters in September 2024, shortly after securing a silver medal at the Paris Olympics with a throw of 89.45m. Since then, the 26-year-old has staged a remarkable comeback, driven by consistent performances and landmark wins across events.


According to the latest update by World Athletics, Chopra now holds 1,445 ranking points, surpassing Peters’ 1,431. Germany’s Julian Weber, who recorded the best throw of 2025 so far with a 91.06m effort at the Doha Diamond League, is ranked third with 1,412 points, while Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem sits at No. 4 with 1,370 points. Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch, the Tokyo silver medallist, rounds off the top five.

Top 5 in Men’s Javelin World Rankings (2025):

• Neeraj Chopra (India) – 1,445 pts
• Anderson Peters (Grenada) – 1,431 pts
• Julian Weber (Germany) – 1,412 pts
• Arshad Nadeem (Pakistan) – 1,370 pts
• Jakub Vadlejch (Czechia) – 1,366 pts

How Neeraj Climbed Back to the Top

He began 2025 with a strong showing at the Potch Invitational in South Africa, followed by a memorable performance in Doha, where he breached the 90-metre mark for the first time in his career (90.23m) and finished second behind Weber.

The momentum continued as Chopra claimed silver at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland and bagged back-to-back wins at the Paris Diamond League (88.16m) and Ostrava Golden Spike (85.29m).

Importantly, Chopra has come out ahead of Peters in all four of their meetings this year, extending his head-to-head advantage to 16-5 in major competition finals.

Their last direct battle where Peters finished ahead was at the 2022 World Championships, where he clinched gold with an 89.91m throw while Chopra took silver (88.39m).

The javelin rivalry between Chopra and Peters will resume again at the Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru on July 5, setting the stage for yet another high-voltage contest.