India’s Olympic gold medalist and reigning world champion javelin thrower, Neeraj Chopra, is set to make his competitive return at the Paris Diamond League 2025 on June 20 at the Stade Sebastien-Charlety, as reported by Olympics.com.
This marks Neeraj’s second appearance in the Diamond League this season, having already competed in Doha earlier this year.
Interestingly, this will be Neeraj’s first time back at the Paris Diamond League since 2017. Back then, the rising star from India made waves with a throw of 84.67m, securing fifth place overall. The gold medal that year went to Germany’s Johannes Vetter, who achieved a distance of 88.74m.
Neeraj was initially slated to compete in the 2024 Paris Diamond League but opted out to focus on extensive training leading up to the Paris Olympics, clearly aiming to peak at the highest level.
In the 2025 season, Chopra has already made headlines with a record-breaking throw. At the Doha Diamond League in May, he launched an impressive 90.23m, surpassing his previous best of 89.94m set during the Stockholm Diamond League in 2022. Despite breaking the national record, he finished second in Doha, with Germany’s Julian Weber taking the top spot with a throw of 91.06m.
The rivalry between Neeraj and Julian Weber continued at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Chorzow, Poland, on May 23. Competing in challenging weather conditions, Neeraj managed a best throw of 84.14m on his final attempt, finishing second once again, while Weber claimed victory with a throw of 86.12m.
Neeraj kicked off his 2025 season on a high note, dominating the Potch Invitational Meet in South Africa in April with a throw of 84.52m. Looking ahead, he’s also set to participate in the Golden Spike athletics competition in Czechia on June 24, just days after his Paris appearance.
Excitingly, he will be the star attraction at the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic on July 5 in Bengaluru, a new event on the Indian athletics calendar celebrating the Olympic champion’s achievements.