New Delhi: Asian Games silver medallist javelin thrower Kishore Jena, holder of the second-longest throw by an Indian, has joined the Indian participants list for the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic (NC Classic) 2025 javelin throw championship, which will be held on May 24 in Bengaluru.
“Asian Games Silver medallist, one of India’s elite 87m+ throwers Kishore Jena is locked in for the #NCClassic2025,” the organisers shared on social media.
Jena’s impressive achievements include a silver medal at the 2022 Asian Games and a top-five finish at the 2023 World Championships.
Headlined by a double Olympic medallist and reigning world champion Neeraj Chopra, the event will see elite male and female javelin throwers from around the world competing in India for the first time.
Besides Neeraj Chopra, Jena will join Rohit Yadav, Sachin Yadav and Sahil Silwal to complete the Indian lineup for the event, which is being jointly organised by Chopra and JSW Sport in association with the Athletics Federation of India and World Athletics.
The one-day javelin throw meet is classified as a World Athletics ‘A’ category event, equating to a Continental Tour Gold-level competition in ranking points. It will be held at the Sri Kanteerva Stadium in Bengaluru.
Paris Olympic bronze medallist and two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, along with Rio Olympic silver medallist and former world champion Julius Yego of Kenya, are among the top stars who will be participating in the competition.
The Tokyo Olympic Games gold medallist, the Paris Olympics silver medallist, and the reigning World Champion Chopra will be the top attraction in the one-day event named after him.
The line-up also includes Pan American Games champion Curtis Thompson of the USA, who is the current world leader, Thomas Rohler (Germany), the 2016 Olympic Champion and one of the sport’s all-time greats, Japan’s Genki Dean, Brazil’s Luiz Mauricio da Silva and Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage.
The NC Classic 2025 will serve as a crucial qualification event for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo from September 13 to 21, though Neeraj, the reigning world champion, has already secured his spot.
(IANS)
