A repeat of that act on home soil at the NC Classic would be the perfect gift for the Indian fans whom he cares so much about
Neeraj Chopra during a training session in Bengaluru on Thursday. Pic/PTI
Coming from humble beginnings — he was born in Haryana’s Khandra village in the district of Panipat — Neeraj Chopra has always spoken about the average Indian fan, who can’t always afford watching him live while he globetrots his way to winning the Asian Games, Olympic medals or World Championships titles.
Saturday’s Neeraj Chopra Classic, a World Athletics Category A event, featuring the crème de la crème of the javelin world at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, is the double Olympic medallist’s earnest initiative to bridge this gap with his Indian fans.
“I’ve had this dream for long. Whenever I competed abroad, I would be impressed by these events and the crowd support for us athletes, and I always wondered if something like this could ever happen in India. So, for me, to be able to offer this [NC Classic] to the Indian fans is a dream-come-true,” Chopra, 27, said during the pre-event press conference in Bengaluru.
While Chopra has excelled in almost every competition he has taken part in till date, he only recently achieved the elusive yet coveted 90m throw for the first time when he hurled his spear across 90.23m at the Doha Diamond League in May.
A repeat of that act on home soil at the NC Classic would be the perfect gift for the Indian fans whom he cares so much about.
NC Classic 2025 participants
. Neeraj Chopra (India) Personal best: 90.23m, Season’s best: 90.23m
. Thomas Rohler (Germany) PB 93.90m, SB 80.79m
. Julius Yego (Kenya) PB 92.72m, SB 83.08m
. Curtis Thompson (USA) PB 87.76m, SB 87.76m
. Luiz Mauricio da Silva (Brazil) PB 86.62m, SB 86.62
. Cyprian Mrzyglód (Poland) PB 85.92m, SB 85.92m
. Rumesh Pathirage (Sri Lanka) PB 85.45m, SB 85.41m
. Sachin Yadav (India) PB 85.16m, SB 85.16m
. Rohit Yadav (India) PB 83.40m, SB 80.47m
. Yash Vir Singh (India) PB 82.57m, SB 82.57m
. Sahil Silwal (India) PB 81.81m, SB 77.84m
. Martin Konecny (Poland) PB 80.59m, SB 80.59m
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