Indian Javelin Ace Neeraj Chopra won gold at the prestigious Ostrava Golden Spike meet, making his debut at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold level. The two-time Olympic winner easily dominated the nine-man field, despite failing to beat his personal best of 90.23 metres. His top throw was unmatched, and with Julian Weber, his main 2025 competitor, absent from the field, Neeraj took complete control of the competition.
Douw Smith of South Africa surprised everyone by setting a personal best of 84.12 meters, earning him the silver medal. Anderson Peters, a former world champion from Grenada, had to settle for bronze despite throwing 83.63 meters at his best.
Neeraj impressed with his consistency throughout multiple attempts. He completed four legal throws, each of which was above 80 metres. On his final throw, he urged the Ostrava crowd to support him for a grand finish. However, when he realised the throw would not exceed 85 metres, he purposefully stepped beyond the foul line, nullifying the attempt.
Despite earning gold, Chopra demonstrated apparent displeasure, showing that he was striving for a higher benchmark. The win adds to his momentum from his Paris Diamond League victory on June 20.
