Olympic javelin champ Neeraj Chopra to face best throwers in the world for the first time on home ground

In what could be Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra’s first competition at home against the world’s top javelin throwers, Panchkula's Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex will host the best in the business for a World Athletics (WA) Category A event on May 24.

The one-day tournament has been christened Neeraj Chopra Classic, and was finalised after months of discussions between WA and Athletics Federation of India (AFI).

Chopra will be competing in India after a gap of 374 days with his last competition at home being the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar in May 2024.

“I can confirm the Neeraj Chopra Classic, a Category A World Athletics competition, featuring Neeraj Chopra and world’s other top javelin throwers, will take place on May 24 at Panchkula,” AFI president Bahadur Singh Sagootold The Indian Express. “The other formalities of the competition will be finalised in the coming days.”

Chopra, who won his second Olympic medal – a silver - at the Paris Games, last competed at the Diamond League in Brussels in September, finishing second silver with a best throw of 87.86m.

The athletics stadium at Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex in Panchkula, which will host the Neeraj Chopra Classic, a category A World Athletics event, on May 24. Nitin Sharma

The Haryana athlete, who had been struggling with an adductor niggle in his groin for the last one year, had started his pre-season training in South Africa in November. He spent 31 days at Potchefstroom before his wedding at Solan in Himachal Pradesh on January 16. He has been training under three-time Olympic and world champion and the current world record holder Jan Zelezny for the last few weeks. Chopra is expected to compete at the Doha Diamond League on May 16 before coming for the Panchkula event. ‘Neeraj has trained at Panchkula for most part of his junior career and has always wanted to compete in a World Athletics event on his home ground. Competing against the world’s best javelin throwers at Panchkula will be a huge occasion for Indian athletics and naming a WA event after the Olympic champion will be a big motivating factor for up-and-coming youngsters,” Sagoo said.

In January, Chopra had talked about his ambition to have an elite event in his own country.

“It has been a longstanding dream of mine to organise and bring a world-class javelin competition to India. With the help of JSW Sports and AFI, we are making this happen. I am sure that my fellow athletes and fans in India will create an experience that will be spoken about for a long time,” he had said.

WA president Sebastian Coe had also backed the upcoming event.

“World Athletics is delighted to support this new event that will allow fans in India to see their heroes on home soil,” the double Olympic 1500m champion had stated in January.