Neeraj’s magical run ends where it all began as Walcott takes title

Facing back issues, the Indian star failed to defend his crown, finishing eighth at the Tokyo Worlds

- Shantanu Srivastava

It had to end, eventually. The unerring sequence of top-two finishes, the unreal consistency, the unwavering belief thata big throw wasalways round the corner — for far too long, Neeraj Chopra had spoiled us.

From World medals to Olympic podiums, Diamond League wins to continental success, Chopra had become the irresistible force that Indian athletics had long pined for. And when the end came, it was not pretty. Toppled from his perch, having finished outside of top-three for the first time since September 2018, Chopra lay grimacing on the runway as the rain came down on the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo, the very venue where it all began for him alittle over four years ago. The irony was painfully unmissable.

“[don't understand what happened today. This has not happened for a long time,” he would say later.

Back in 2021, a fresh-faced, confident young man strode into the Tokyo Olympics and decided to announce himself to the world. A career arc that began that August evening would rival the best streaks there have been. For 25 consecutive competitions since, Chopra never finished outside the top two, firmly cementing his statureas one of India’s all-time sporting icons.