Olympic champion and reigning world champion Neeraj Chopra will not compete at the Brussels Diamond League this Friday, as reported by Olympics.com. The Indian superstar has already qualified for the Zurich Diamond League Final (August 27-28) with 15 points from his earlier appearances this season, giving him the chance to rest and prepare for bigger challenges ahead.
Focus on Zurich and World Championships
The men’s javelin throw final in Zurich will decide the 2025 Diamond League champion on August 28. Neeraj, who won the 2022 Diamond League title and finished runner-up in 2023 and 2024, has yet to confirm his participation. The bigger target, however, remains his world title defence at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo (September 13-21).
Skipping Select Diamond League Meets
This year’s Brussels meet is the final Diamond League event featuring the men’s javelin throw. Neeraj has opted out, just as he did with the Silesia Diamond League earlier this month. In the 2024 Diamond League Final, he narrowly lost to Grenada’s Anderson Peters by just one centimetre, despite throwing 87.86m.
A Spectacular 2025 Season So Far
Neeraj Chopra has begun the 2025 season in superb form. He started with a win at the Potch Invitational (South Africa) in April, followed by a historic throw of 90.23m at the Doha Diamond League, his first-ever entry into the 90m club.
He later claimed second place at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial (Poland) before bouncing back with victories at the Paris Diamond League (88.16m) and the Ostrava Golden Spike (85.29m). His most recent triumph came at the Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru, where he thrilled home fans with a winning effort of 86.18m.
Looking Ahead: World Title Defence in Tokyo
The next big challenge for the Indian superstar will be the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where he will defend his gold medal. In the 2023 edition, Neeraj became the first Indian to win a world title in athletics, finishing ahead of Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem in a historic final.