Neeraj Chopra recently shared his thoughts on the Doha Diamond League 2025, where he finally surpassed the 90-meter mark with a throw of 90.23 meters.

The positive influence of his new coach, Jan Zelezny, was evident as Chopra achieved a milestone he had been striving for over the past few years. The 27-year-old athlete expressed his gratitude to Zelezny, a three-time Olympic gold medallist from the Czech Republic, and his physio, emphasizing that “this is just the beginning.” He previously worked with Dr. Klaus Bartonietz.

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“I’m thrilled to have finally reached the 90m mark in Doha. A heartfelt thank you to the Indian fans in the stadium for their support and to everyone watching from home. I’m grateful to my coach, Jan Zelezny, and physio Ishaan Marwaha for their unwavering assistance. This is just the beginning,” Chopra shared on X.

After a solid start with a throw of 88.44m followed by a foul, Chopra delivered a stunning throw of 90.23m in his third attempt, finally breaking through a barrier that had eluded him.

With this achievement, Neeraj joins the elite ranks of javelin throwers who have surpassed 90 meters, including reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan, solidifying his legacy in the sport.

Although Chopra fouled on his fourth attempt and missed out on another Diamond League victory when Germany’s Julian Weber secured first place with a throw of 91.06m in the final round, the result alleviated the pressure of reaching the 90m benchmark. He can now focus on defending his World Championship title and aiming for Olympic gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

KL Rahul excelled in his new role as opener, scoring an impressive 112 not out, leading Delhi Capitals to a strong total of 199/3 against Gujarat Titans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday.

Despite the slightly slower pitch, Rahul showcased his exceptional batting skills, reaching 112 off just 65 balls—marking his fifth IPL century. His stunning innings included 14 fours and four sixes, making him the first player to score IPL centuries for three different franchises, having previously achieved this with Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants.

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In addition to being the team’s primary contributor with the bat, Rahul ensured a competitive total for DC by finishing the innings strongly. He received solid support from his teammates—Abishek Porel scored a brisk 30 off 19 balls, skipper Axar Patel contributed 25 off 16 balls, and Tristan Stubbs remained unbeaten on 21 off 10.

Batting first, Rahul wasted no time, hitting two boundaries in the opening over against Mohammed Siraj—one thanks to a misfield and the other with a precise backfoot cut. With Faf du Plessis struggling to find his rhythm and dismissed by Arshad Khan, Rahul stepped up confidently.

Rahul punished Siraj for short deliveries, producing two boundaries, and showcased his prowess by hitting Kagiso Rabada for six over square leg before elegantly carving a lofted shot over point, completing 8000 runs in men’s T20s—making him the fastest Indian and the third overall to reach this milestone. The power-play concluded with DC at 45/1, having scored 17 runs in the final over.

He maintained momentum, quickly rotating the strike during the middle overs and bringing up his fifty in just 35 balls amid cheers from the crowd. Luck favored him when R Sai Kishore failed to catch a top-edge, allowing another boundary.

Rahul wowed spectators with a breathtaking lofted shot for six off a half-volley. He accelerated his scoring rate by hitting Prasidh Krishna for three boundaries in quick succession—a straight drive, a flick over the boundary by Rabada, and an edge through the slips.

Although he faced fewer deliveries in the last four overs, Rahul managed to hit a six off Prasidh and celebrated his century enthusiastically. He then sealed the innings with two more boundaries against Siraj, setting a challenging target for GT.

Brief Scores: Delhi Capitals 199/3 in 20 overs (KL Rahul 112 not out, Abishek Porel 30; Arshad Khan 1-7, Prasidh Krishna 1-40) vs. Gujarat Titans

On Saturday, Odisha’s rising sprinter Animesh Kujur showcased his dominance in the men’s 100m and 200m races at the Indian Grand Prix 2, held at the LNCPE Campus in Trivandrum. The 21-year-old national record-holder for the men’s 200m emerged as the fastest runner of the day, clocking 10.31 seconds in the 100m and 20.55 seconds in the 200m.

Having set the national record for the men’s 200m at 20.40 seconds during last month’s Federation Cup, Animesh was closely followed by Vishal TK (21.06 seconds) and Ragul Kumar G (21.10 seconds).

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Animesh’s personal best in the 100m is 10.27 seconds, while his national record in the 200m remains at 20.40 seconds, achieved in April in Kochi. Following him on the podium in the 100m were Lalu Prasad Bhoi (10.565 seconds) and Dondapati Mrutyam Ja (10.569 seconds).

In other events, Olympians Vithya Ramraj and Rajesh Ramesh claimed victory in the women’s 400m hurdles and men’s 400m races, respectively. Vithya Ramraj, who matched PT Usha’s national record of 55.42 seconds in the women’s 400m hurdles at the 2023 Asian Games, won the event in 57.45 seconds and finished second in the 200m at 23.72 seconds, just behind Sneha K, who clocked 23.59 seconds. Vithya is also a member of the Indian team for the Asian Championships.

Meanwhile, Rajesh Ramesh, part of the Indian squad that set the 4x400m relay national record at the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest, won the 400m race in 45.77 seconds, finishing ahead of Jay Kumar (46.53 seconds) and Rince Joseph (46.72 seconds). Two-time Olympian Subha Venkatesan clinched the women’s 400m title.

Results

Men

100m (Race A): Animesh Kujur (Odisha) 10.31 seconds, Lalu Prasad Bhoi (Odisha) 10.57 seconds, Dondapati M (Odisha) 10.57 seconds.

100m (Race B): Mohammed H (Kerala) 10.83 seconds, Dhanush K (Karnataka) 10.90 seconds, Dheeraj K (Army) 10.98 seconds.

100m (Race C): Abhinash Sahu (Odisha) 10.74 seconds, Aryan Manoj (Karnataka) 10.79 seconds, Ajin R (Kerala) 10.83 seconds.

200m (Race D): Animesh Kujur (Odisha) 20.55 seconds, Vishal TK (NCOE Trivandrum) 21.06 seconds, Ragul Kumar G (Tamil Nadu) 21.10 seconds.

200m (Race C): Lalu Prasad Bhoi (Odisha) 21.23 seconds, Dharmveer Choudhary (NOCE Trivandrum) 21.32 seconds, Mohit Kumar (NOCE Trivandrum) 21.41 seconds.

200m (Race B): Abhay Singh (Madhya Pradesh) 21.43 seconds, Sam Vasanth S (Tamil Nadu) 21.73 seconds, Aryan Jagdish K (Maharashtra) 21.80 seconds.

200m (Race A): Varun (Tamil Nadu) 21.51 seconds, Abhinash Sahu (Odisha) 21.88 seconds, Astik Pradhan (Odisha) 21.92 seconds.

400m (Race A): Navpreet Singh (Delhi) 48.69 seconds, Sajjan Mishra (Army) 49.02 seconds, Nikhil S (Karnataka) 49.71 seconds.

400m (Race B): Harsh Kumar (Haryana) 47.41 seconds, Sharon A (Delhi) 48.28 seconds, Amit Kumar (Haryana) 48.57 seconds.

400m (Race C): Suraj A (Tamil Nadu) 47.00 seconds, Rihan CH (NCOE Trivandrum) 47.22 seconds, Rashid (Madhya Pradesh) 47.35 seconds.

400m (Race D): Rajesh Ramesh (Tamil Nadu) 45.77 seconds, Jay Kumar (NCOE Trivandrum) 46.53 seconds, Rince Joseph (Kerala) 46.72 seconds.

800m: Satyam Chauhan (Army) 1:51.87, Harshdeep Singh (Army) 1:52.20, Dayanidhi Munda (Odisha) 1:52.80.

400m hurdles: Subhas Das (JSW) 50.61 seconds, Natarajan K (NCOE Trivandrum) 51.51 seconds, Akhil Babu A (Kerala) 56.99 seconds.

Triple jump: Vimal Mukesh (Navy) 15.83m, Boby Sahu (Police) 15.56m, Naveen KP (NOCE Trivandrum) 15.44m.

Women

100m (Race A): Shatakshi Rai (Bihar) 11.91 seconds, Keerthana S (Karnataka) 12.07 seconds, Priya Chauhan (Delhi) 12.29 seconds.

100m (Race B): Abinaya Rajarajan (NCOE Trivandrum) 11.55 seconds, Sneha SS (Karnataka) 11.60 seconds, Nithya Gandhe (Telangana) 11.61 seconds.

200m (Race A): Sonia Baishya (Reliance) 24.52 seconds, Swathi Rongali (Andhra Pradesh) 24.66 seconds, Gowrinandana (NCOE Trivandrum) 24.67 seconds.

200m (Race B): Sneha K (Kerala) 23.59 seconds, Vithya Ramraj (Tamil Nadu) 23.72 seconds, Angel Silvia M (NCOE Bengaluru) 23.87 seconds.

400m (Race A): Gowrinandana (NCOE Trivandrum) 54.34 seconds, Kunja Rajitha (Andhra Pradesh) 55.03 seconds, Pavithra P (Tamil Nadu) 55.21 seconds.

400m (Race B): Subha Venkatesan (Tamil Nadu) 53.57 seconds, Jisna Mathew (Kerala) 53.78 seconds, Sonia Baishya (Reliance) 54.22 seconds.

800m: Laxmipriya A Kisan (Odisha) 2:09.10, Vijaya Kumari GK (Karnataka) 2:09.58, Priscilla Daniel (NCOE Trivandrum) 2:12.94.

100m hurdles: Nithya Ramraj (Tamil Nadu) 13.27 seconds, Pragyan Prasanti S (Odisha) 13.27 seconds, Sabita Toppo (Odisha) 14.20 seconds.

400m hurdles: Vithya Ramraj (Tamil Nadu) 57.45 seconds, Anu R (Kerala) 58.41 seconds, Deekshita R (Karnataka) 1:00.50.

Long jump: Mubassina Mohammed (Lakshadweep) 6.17m, Lakshanya AS (NCOE Bengaluru) 5.75m.

Javelin throw: Runjun Pegu (Assam) 42.96m, Pooja (Haryana) 41.47m.