Neeraj Chopra finishes eighth in World Athletics Championships!

Defending champion Neeraj Chopra crashed out of the World Championships' men's javelin throw final after the fifth round with a best effort of 84, and a 03m left him eighth overall, on Thursday, September 18.

He was eighth after the fourth throw, and fouled the fifth one to exit the competition.

Only the top six athletes will compete in the sixth and final round. Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan also made an exit in the fourth round.

Sachin Yadav is still in the competition, placed fourth overall with a best of 86.

Neeraj Chopra on Thursday faced Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem in the World Athletics Championship javelin final, continuing their intense rivalry.

His previous single-throw qualifications came at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, and the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The rivalry between Chopra and Nadeem had intensified since their last encounters. The dynamic shifted in Paris 2024 when Nadeem claimed Olympic gold with a throw of 92.97m, while Chopra earned silver with 89.45m.

Chopra aimed to become only the third male javelin thrower to defend his World Championships title, following Czech legend Jan Zelezny (1993, 1995), now his coach, and Anderson Peters (2019, 2022).

In the previous championships in Budapest, Chopra clinched gold with a throw of 88.17m, followed by Nadeem (87.82m) with silver and Vadlejch (86.67m) with bronze.

The 12-man final field includes several prominent competitors.

Former world champion Anderson Peters, Germany's Julian Weber, and Kenyan veteran Julius Yego will all vie for the title.