Neeraj`s best effort on the night, 84.03 metres, was well below his usual high standards and brought a close to a remarkable seven-year medal streak. 

Since 2018, Chopra had competed in 34 international events, including the Olympics, World Championships, Diamond Leagues, and Asian Games, never once finishing outside the top three. This consistency had become synonymous with his name

It was at this very National Stadium in 2020 that Chopra carved his name into Indian sporting history, becoming the first-ever Olympic gold medallist in track and field for the country

In the years that followed, Chopra continued to elevate his performance. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, he narrowly missed defending his Olympic title. A monstrous 92.97-metre throw by Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem clinched gold, while Chopra’s 89.45 metres earned him a well-fought silver

Chopra arrived in Tokyo this week as the defending world champion, having claimed gold in Budapest last year with a throw of 88.77 metres, ahead of Nadeem and Czech thrower Jakub Vadlejch. But on Thursday night, things simply didn’t click. Chopra looked out of rhythm throughout, failing to breach his usual 85-metre mark after five attempts