Neeraj Chopra says he failed at World Championships as he 'couldn't train because of his back'

India's Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra was a pale shadow of his past best at the World Athletics Championship 2025 javelin throw final event on Thursday (Sep 18). He finished in eighth place among 12 athletes with a best of 84.03-metre throw on his second attempt. He fouled twice in five throws and even finished behind Sachin Yadav - another Indian at the event and a fairly unknown name in comparison to Chopra. The two-time Olympic medalist in the same event, Chopra was concerned about his back while throwing as visible by the support gear he was wearing.

Why did Neeraj Chopra could not perform

Chopra was clearly dejected after his performance and revealed that he wasn't fully fit even before the tournament. He said: "I never give such excuses. The real reason was my back, because of which I couldn't train. I was not in my best physical shape and it affected my mindset. I didn't reveal this before because I didn't want to head into the competition with this in my mind. But what is there is there. I have thrown well in rain, I have thrown well against the wind, so that's not a problem."

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How far did Chopra manage to throw

The Olympian started with a throw of 83.65m in the first attempt before going 84.03m in the second one - which was his best on the night. The third attempt was a foul before he went 82.86m in the fourth attempt. In his fifth attempt, Neeraj could manage only a foul which concluded his disappointing run.

The second Indian athlete, Sachin Yadava, exceeded expectations on the other hand by finishing fourth and missing a medal by just 0.40 metres. Yadav threw for 86.27m in his first attempt - also his personal best. He fouled on second attempt but crossed the 85m mark two more times in the next four chances.