Walcott wins javelin gold as Chopra, Nadeem disappoint at Athletics Worlds

On a rainy night in Tokyo, Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott won the men’s javelin final of the World Athletics Championships 2025 beating India’s Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem.

Nadeem, the reigning Olympic champion, and Chopra, the reigning world champion, both looked in poor form at the Japan National Stadium on Thursday when they failed to pass the 85-meter mark.

With an elevation of 88.16 meters, Trinidad and Tobago’s Walcott won his first global title since 2012’s teen gold medal at the Olympics.

The 32-year-old won his first world championship medal in addition to his 2012 gold and bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics by dominating the competition in a blustery breeze, producing the two longest throws of the evening.

Anderson Peters of Grenada won silver medals at the 2019 and 2022 world championships in a good night for the Caribbean, placing him second with a throw of 87.38m.

Curtis Thompson won the bronze medal in the event’s opening throw of 86.67m, marking the United States’ first world championship victory since Breaux Greer in 2007.

Chopra, who had a best attempt of 84.03m and finished eighth, struggled to reach the site of his 2021 Olympic triumph, and made no fairytale comeback.

Nadeem from Pakistan, who has been out for much of the season, also had a disappointing evening, placing 10th overall with an best throw of 82.75m.

With a personal best of 86.27m on his first attempt, Sachin Yadav placed fourth ahead of Julian Weber, restoring pride for India.

The German, who had a best throw of 86.11m, was a distant second-place finisher behind the world-leading 91.51m he recorded in the Diamond League final in Zurich last month.

Julius Yego, a 36-year-old world champion from Kenya, injured himself on his third time and was unable to win.