Neeraj Chopra Victorious at Ostrava Golden Spike But Expresses Disappointment with Performance

Neeraj Chopra secured victory at the Ostrava Golden Spike, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event, with a throw of 85.29m. Despite winning, the Olympic champion expressed a desire for better performance. This marked Chopra's first appearance at the meet.

Neeraj Chopra celebrates his victory at the Ostrava Golden Spike 2025.

Chopra's winning throw came in the third round, after a foul on his first attempt and a throw of 83.45m in the second. He led the field of nine athletes.

"I am not that happy with my performance today, but I am very happy with the trophy I won," Chopra stated. He added, "I used to watch this meeting a lot as a kid. I watched people like Jan Zelezny and Usain Bolt winning the Golden Spike and I dreamt of winning one as well. Now the dream has come true."

His subsequent throws were 82.17m and 81.01m, followed by a foul in the final round. "Javelin throw is very popular in Czechia," Chopra noted. "The amount of support we were getting from the crowd was crazy. I just wish I could have performed better for them." He had previously exceeded the 90m mark at the Doha Diamond League in May, where he finished second.

The 27-year-old is coming off a Diamond League victory in Paris. Chopra is scheduled to compete at the NC Classic in Bengaluru on July 5, facing competitors such as Anderson Peters and Thomas Rohler.

Despite not meeting his own expectations, especially in front of the enthusiastic crowd, Chopra's effort was enough to secure the Golden Spike title.