Neeraj Chopra
As the World Athletics Awards 2023 draws near, we’re shining a spotlight on the 10 finalists – five men and five women – for the World Athlete of the Year awards.
Today the focus is on Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra.
As has been the case for the past few years, consistency was the key for Neeraj Chopra in 2023.
His ability to produce a big throw on any given day led to him becoming India’s first ever world champion, two years after becoming his country’s first Olympic champion in athletics.
Chopra’s first outing of the year set the tone for the rest of the season. With his first throw of the competition at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Doha, he sent his spear out to 88.67m to defeat world and Olympic medallist Jakub Vadlejch.
He notched up another Diamond League victory one month later in Lausanne, winning with 87.66m.
It may not have been the busiest start to his season, but those two victories nevertheless game him confidence heading into the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23. He impressed in the qualifying round, throwing a season’s best of 88.77m, showing his opponents that he was the man to beat.
That proved to be the case in the final. After opening with a foul, he launched his javelin out to 88.17m to take the lead, and he stayed there for the remainder of the competition. He followed it with throws of 86.32m, 84.64 and 87.73m before rounding out his series with 83.98m.
“This was great,” he said. “After the Olympic gold, I really wanted to win the World Championships. This has been a great championships for India, and I am proud to bring another title to my country.”
The last time Chopra finished outside of the top three in a competition was back in September 2018, and he maintained his consistent record through the end of the season, finishing second in Zurich (85.71m) and at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Eugene (83.80m).
Chopra’s season ended on a high at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, where he successfully defended his title with a season’s best of 88.88m, leading an Indian 1-2 finish from compatriot Kishmore Kumar Jena.
• The World Athletes of the Year will be announced on World Athletics’ social media platforms on 11 December as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023 – and you and a friend can be part of the celebrations.
One lucky person and a companion will win a once-in-a-lifetime VIP trip to Monaco during the annual World Athletics Awards.
The winners of the fan VIP trip will get to spend three nights (9-11 December) in Monaco and meet the best athletes of 2023 in person. Flights, accommodation and evening meals will all be included.
