Neeraj Chopra, the reigning world champion in javelin throw, is set to spearhead a strong Indian contingent at the Doha Diamond League 2025, scheduled for Friday at the Qatar Sports Club. This marks his first Diamond League appearance of the season.

Indian Contingent

Alongside Chopra, three other Indian athletes will be participating:

• Kishore Jena: The Asian Games silver medalist will compete in the men's javelin throw alongside Neeraj Chopra.
• Parul Chaudhary: The national record holder will participate in the women's 3000m steeplechase. This will be her first competition of the 2025 season. She finished 16th in the steeplechase at the Eugene Diamond League leg last year, marking her Diamond League debut.
• Gulveer Singh: He is set to make his Diamond League debut in the men's 5000m race.

This is the largest Indian contingent at a single Diamond League meet to date.

Neeraj Chopra's Performance and Expectations

The Qatar Sports Club has been a favorable venue for Neeraj Chopra. He won the Doha leg of the Diamond League in 2023 and secured second place in 2024. This year, the Doha meet is Chopra's second competitive outing, following the Potch Invitational Meet in Potchefstroom, South Africa, where he won with an 84.52m throw in April.

Chopra will be aiming to cross the elusive 90m mark in Doha, with his personal best and the Indian national record standing at 89.94m. He is also looking to begin his preparations for the 2025 World Championships, where he hopes to defend his title.

Following the Doha Diamond League, Neeraj Chopra was scheduled to participate in the NC Classic 2025 in Bengaluru on May 24. However, the event has been cancelled.

Competition

Neeraj Chopra will face tough competition in Doha, including:

• Anderson Peters (Grenada): The two-time world champion and 2024 Olympics bronze winner. Peters beat Neeraj by 1cm to win the Doha Diamond League in 2024.
• Jakub Vadlejch (Czechia): The Tokyo 2020 silver medalist who won in Doha in 2024.
• Julian Weber and Max Dehning (Germany)
• Julius Yego (Kenya)
• Roderick Genki Dean (Japan)

Arshad Nadeem from Pakistan, the reigning Olympic gold medalist, will not be participating as he prepares for the Asian Athletics Championships in Korea.

Kishore Jena will be hoping to regain the form that led him to a silver medal at the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games. He finished ninth in Doha on his Diamond League debut last year.

Parul Chaudhary will compete against top athletes in the 3000m steeplechase, including Winfred Yavi (Bahrain), Peruth Chemutai (Uganda), and Faith Cherotich (Kenya), the top three finishers from Paris 2024.

Gulveer Singh holds the 5000m national record with a time of 13:11.82 seconds, which he recorded in Japan last year.

Live Streaming Details

The Doha Diamond League 2025 will be live-streamed in India on the Wanda Diamond League YouTube channel and Facebook page. There will be no live telecast of the event on TV in India. Neeraj Chopra's javelin throw event is scheduled to begin at 10.13 PM IST. Gulveer Singh's 5000m race will start at 10:15 PM IST, and Parul Chaudhary's 3000m steeplechase is scheduled for 11:13 PM IST.