Anderson Peters and Kishore Jena have pulled out of the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 due to injuries. The event is scheduled to take place on July 5 at Bengaluru’s Sree Kanteerava Stadium. Poland’s Cyprian Mrzyglod and India’s Yash Vir Singh are named as replacements for the prominent javelin throwers.
Injuries forcing key withdrawals
Grenada’s Anderson Peters, a two-time world champion and Paris Olympics bronze medallist has been ruled out due to an ankle injury sustained during his last competition at the Ostrava Golden Spike on June 24, where he threw 83.63m to secure third place.
Kishore Jena, a 28-year-old Indian javelin thrower, has also been sidelined by an ankle injury, ruling him out of the Neeraj Chopra Classic. Jena came into the limelight in 2023 with an impressive 87.54m throw at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, the second-best by an Indian behind Chopra. However, he has struggled with form and injuries since then.
In 2024, he crossed the 80m mark only twice in five outings and failed to advance past the qualifiers at the Paris Olympics. This season, his best effort was 78.60m at the Doha Diamond League, where he finished eighth.
Replacements for Anderson Peters and Kishore Jena
Poland’s Cyprian Mrzyglod, aged 27 has replaced Peters. He has registered a personal best of 85.92m.
On the other hand, Yash Vir Singh, a 23-year-old Indian thrower, will replace Jena. With a personal best of 82.57m, achieved at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, where he finished fifth, Singh brings promise to the field.
Final line-up after withdrawals
Neeraj Chopra (India): Personal Best (PB) & Season Best (SB) – 90.23m
Luiz Mauricio da Silva (Brazil): PB & SB – 86.62m
Thomas Rohler (Germany): PB – 93.90m, SB – 80.79m
Curtis Thompson (USA): PB & SB – 87.76m
Martin Konecny (Czechia): PB & SB – 80.59m
Cyprian Mrzyglod (Poland): PB & SB – 85.92m
Julius Yego (Kenya): PB – 92.72m, SB – 83.08m
Rumesh Pathirage (Sri Lanka): PB – 85.45m, SB – 85.41m
Sachin Yadav (India): PB & SB – 85.16m
Rohit Yadav (India): PB – 83.40m, SB – 80.47m
Sahil Silwal (India): PB – 81.81m, SB – 77.84m
Yash Vir Singh (India): PB & SB – 82.57m
Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025
The Neeraj Chopra Classic is co-organized by Neeraj Chopra, JSW Sports, the Athletics Federation of India, and World Athletics. Originally scheduled for May 24, the event was rescheduled to July 5 due to security considerations. Hosted at Bengaluru’s iconic Kanteerava Stadium, the event highlights India’s growing prominence in global athletics. As a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet, it is aimed to attract top talent and elevate javelin throw’s visibility in the country.
