Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra began his 2025 season with a commanding performance, winning the Potch Invitational Meet in South Africa with a throw of 84.52m. The meet, held at McArthur Stadium in Potchefstroom, marked Chopra’s first competition of the year, and he ended on top of the six-thrower field.

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Chopra’s throw, which came at a relatively low-key, invitational event, was the best performance of the competition. South Africa’s 25-year-old Douw Smit finished second with a throw of 82.44m, while Duncan Robertson of South Africa managed a best of 71.22m. Chopra’s 84.52m throw also became the best throw by an Indian in 2025 so far, surpassing the 84.39m by Sachin Yadav and 80.47m by Rohit Yadav in earlier events.

The track and field star’s victory at Potchefstroom sets the tone for an exciting season ahead. As per a social media post by Inspire Institute of Sport, Chopra’s performance was praised as “a solid start to the season” as he prepares for the upcoming Diamond League event in Doha, set to take place in exactly a month.

“This victory marks the beginning of the champion’s chase for greater glory this season,” the post added.

Neeraj Chopra, 27, enters the 2025 season with a new coach, Jan Zelezny, after parting ways with his long-time mentor Dr. Klaus Bartonietz. Chopra and Bartonietz, who had worked together to secure Chopra’s historic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and silver at the Paris Olympics, had also combined to win multiple Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and World Athletics Championships medals.

Zelezny, a javelin legend himself and the current world record holder for the farthest javelin throw in history, is expected to play a pivotal role in guiding Chopra towards even greater achievements. Zelezny had also trained the Czech Republic javelin throwers who finished behind Chopra on the Tokyo Olympic podium.

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With his sights set on breaking the 90m barrier, Neeraj Chopra will be looking to improve upon his personal best throw of 89.94m this season. His impressive season opener in South Africa is a promising sign of things to come as he embarks on his quest for more medals and records in 2025.