Neeraj Chopra delivered the greatest throw of his career — 95.28 metres — to win the World Athletics Championship gold medal in Tokyo, becoming the first Asian athlete to win a World Athletics title in any throwing discipline and positioning him as the overwhelming favourite for a second Olympic gold at Los Angeles in 2028.

The throw, produced in his fifth attempt after an uncharacteristically erratic opening to the competition, silenced fears that the knee tendinopathy that had limited his competitive schedule in 2025 had permanently affected his throwing motion.

His principal rival, Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, threw 89.12 metres for silver — an excellent mark that was made to look modest by Chopra's remarkable performance. The gap between gold and silver was the largest in any World Athletics throwing final in 15 years.

"I dedicate this to every Indian athlete who has been told that Indians cannot compete at the highest level," Chopra said through a translator at the post-competition press conference. At 28, he is approaching what many biomechanics experts consider the prime years for javelin throwers.