Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra will be in action in Poland on Friday, 23 May, just days after surpassing the 90m mark for the first time in his career. Neeraj is set to compete in the Orlen Memorial Janusza Kusocinskiego in Chorzw, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver-level event.
He will be vying for the top honour alongside Julian Weber, as the Indo-German rivalry is poised to continue following their thrilling duel at the Doha Diamond League earlier this month. Neeraj finally broke the long-standing barrier of a 90m throw in Doha, launching his javelin 90.23m in a star-studded field. However, the Paris Olympics silver medallist was narrowly edged out by Weber, who clinched victory with a stunning 91.06m effort on his final attempt. It marked the first time that the European champion had breached the 90m mark as well.
The field in Chorzw will also feature former world champion Anderson Peters. The Grenadian, who won bronze at the Paris Olympics, secured third place in Doha with a best throw of 85.64m.
Local favourite Marcin Krukowski, who boasts a personal best of 89.55m, will also be among the contenders for the top spot on Friday.
When and Where to Watch Neeraj Chopra at the Orlen Memorial in Poland
The men’s javelin competition is scheduled to begin at 6:15 pm local time (9:15 pm IST) on Friday, 23 May. There will be no television broadcast of the event in India, but live streaming will be available on https://sport.tvp.pl.
Neeraj had originally been slated to participate in the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic, a World Athletics-approved javelin meet, on Saturday. However, the event was postponed following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and the subsequent cross-border tensions with Pakistan.
As a result, Neeraj was a late addition to the Orlen Memorial Janusza Kusocinskiego, one of the longest-running athletics competitions in Europe.
Reflecting on his 90m-plus throw in Doha, Neeraj said it felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He also emphasised his goal of maintaining consistency, aiming to surpass the 90m mark repeatedly in the coming months. His partnership with legendary coach Jan elezn has paid dividends. In fact, elezn holds the meeting record at the Orlen Memorial with a throw of 91.50m.
“I know I can throw better. And I will, this year,” Neeraj said in Doha. “I wanted to see the path to 90m. Now that I’ve seen it, I’ll get better. I was consistently throwing 88, 89. I’m confident that I can now consistently throw 90 and beyond.”
ORLEN MEMORIAL Janusza Kusocinskiego MEN’S JAVELIN START LIST
- Roch Krukowski (Poland): Season Best – 71.34 m, Personal Best – 63.48 m
- Artur Felfner (Ukraine): Season Best – 84.32 m, Personal Best – 76.58 m
- Cyprian Mrzygld (Poland): Season Best – 84.97 m, Personal Best – 82.46 m
- Andrian Mardare (Moldova): Season Best – 86.66 m, Personal Best – Not listed
- Anderson Peters (Grenada): Season Best – 93.07 m, Personal Best – 85.64 m
- Marcin Krukowski (Poland): Season Best – 89.55 m, Personal Best – 84.39 m
- Neeraj Chopra (India): Season Best – 90.23 m, Personal Best – 90.23 m
- Julian Weber (Germany): Season Best – 91.06 m, Personal Best – 91.06 m