World Athletics Championships 2025: Disappointment for India as Neeraj Chopra finishes eighth in javelin throw final
India fail to impress at World Championships
India’s wait to add a fourth World Athletics Championship medal to their tally looks likely to be extended after reigning world champion Neeraj Chopra only managed a disappointing eighth place in the Men’s javelin throw final on Wednesday evening.
Chopra’s underwhelming effort defied the betting odds for the Championships, with the Indian star having not placed outside the top two in any competition he has featured in since the Kuortane Games back in 2021.
The 27-year-old has already won four titles this season, including the Paris Diamond League, but his best effort here in Tokyo was clocked at just 84.03m, significantly shorter than the 90.23m he recorded in Doha in May.
The one positive for Team India at the World Championships was the performance of young Sachin Yadav, who threw a personal best of 86.27m in his opening round of the Men’s javelin throw final to beat Chopra by four places.
However, Chopra’s poor showing was not the only one in the competition, as reigning Paris Olympic Games champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan only managed 10th place in the event, with a throw of just 82.75m.
Medals table ahead of Day 8 of World Athletics Championship
As we head into Day 8 of the 2025 World Athletics Championship, the United States currently has a sizable lead at the top of the medals table with eight golds, four more than any other nation participating in this year’s competition.
Notably, African nations have enjoyed an impressive World Championship campaign, with Kenya and Botswana both currently ranked inside the top 10, while marathon runner Alphonce Simbu made history for Tanzania by winning his country’s first-ever world gold.
India has not won a medal in this year’s competition. To date, India have only ever won three World Championships medals, two of which came from Chopra in Oregon 2022 and Budapest 2023, while the other was Anju Bobby George’s bronze at Paris 2023.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA | 8 | 1 | 3 | 12 |
| 2 | Kenya | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 3 | Canada | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Jamaica | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| 6 | Italy | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 7 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | Botswana | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| - | Cuba | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| - | Sweden | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 | Spain | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | France | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| - | Portugal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| - | Switzerland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| - | Tanzania | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | Germany | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 17 | Ethiopia | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 18 | Netherlands | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 19 | P.R. China | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 20 | Bahrain | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 21 | Brazil | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| - | Commonwealth of Dominica | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| - | Dominican Republic | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| - | Great Britain & N.I. | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| - | Greece | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| - | Grenada | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| - | Rep. of Korea | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| - | Morocco | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| - | Mexico | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| - | Nigeria | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 31 | Australia | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 32 | Belgium | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| - | Colombia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| - | Czechia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| - | Ecuador | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| - | Hungary | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| - | Japan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| - | Saint Lucia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| - | Slovenia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| - | Uruguay | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| - | Venezuela | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
