The Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 is underway at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, marking a historic moment for Indian athletics as the country's first-ever World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Level event. This Category A event, named after the Indian javelin ace Neeraj Chopra, has drawn a star-studded field of athletes.

The event started at 7:00 PM Indian Standard Time (IST) on Saturday. Live streaming is available on the JioHotstar website and app, as well as the World Athletics website. Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD are broadcasting the event live on TV in India, with Hindi commentary available on Star Sports 1 Hindi.

Neeraj Chopra entered the NC Classic on a high note, having secured victories at the Paris Diamond League and the Ostrava Golden Spike in Czechia in June. This is his sixth competitive appearance of the 2025 season. He began the season with a win at the Potch Invitational in South Africa before finishing second at the Doha Diamond League, where he achieved a personal milestone by breaching the 90m barrier with a throw of 90.23m, also a new national record.

For years, the 90m mark was a symbolic barrier for Chopra, who had often come close with throws in the high 88s and 89s. Despite his numerous achievements, including Olympic gold at Tokyo, World Championship gold in Budapest, and Diamond League titles, the question of when he would surpass 90 meters lingered. He finally achieved this feat at the Doha Diamond League, sending his javelin soaring to 90.23 meters on his third attempt. This throw not only set a new national record, surpassing his previous best of 89.94m set in Stockholm in June 2022 but also made him the first Indian javelin thrower to join the elite 90m club.

However, the competition in Doha was fierce, with Germany's Julian Weber ultimately taking the top spot with a throw of 91.06m. While Chopra led for most of the event, Weber's final throw secured him the win. Despite the "bittersweet" second-place finish, Chopra's achievement was widely celebrated as a historic moment for Indian athletics.

Neeraj Chopra has been training with Jan Železný, the legendary Czech javelin thrower and world record holder. Železný's influence has had a significant impact on Chopra's approach to the sport. Chopra acknowledged that working with Železný has brought more than just technical improvements, highlighting the deeper impact on his overall approach. He also mentioned that training with Zelezny means he has to throw over 90m.

Looking ahead, Neeraj Chopra's main target for the year is the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, a city where he won Olympic gold in 2021. His former coach, Klaus Bartonietz, believes that Chopra's 90m throw is just the beginning and that he is capable of reaching 94m. Bartonietz, who worked with Neeraj when he achieved throws in the 89m range, emphasizes Neeraj's responsiveness, attentiveness, and mental effort in training.