Neeraj Chopra on Paris Win: "Relieved—No More 90-Meter Questions!"

 Neeraj Chopra on Paris Win: "Relieved—No More 90-Meter Questions!"

After clinching victory at the Paris Diamond League, Neeraj Chopra couldn’t help but smile—not just because of the win, but because he’s finally left behind the constant questions about the 90-meter mark.

Since his historic gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Neeraj has become one of India’s most celebrated athletes. But despite racking up medals—including a silver at last year’s World Championships and another at the Paris Olympics—the one thing everyone kept asking about was: “When will you hit 90 meters?”

That long chase came to an end earlier this year in Doha, where Neeraj finally broke the barrier with a throw that silenced the doubts. “I’m very happy after Doha. Now no more 90-meter questions,” he said, clearly relieved that a weight had been lifted.

Still, Doha was a bit of a mixed bag. Even though he joined the elite 90m club, he finished second behind Germany’s Julian Weber, who also crossed the mark for the first time. And again at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial meet, Neeraj trailed Weber.

But Paris was different. On Friday evening, Neeraj finally got the better of Weber and won the event. Speaking to FloTrack after the victory, he said he felt “very happy” with both his run-up and his throw, even joking that he “had too much speed” during the attempt.

With the 90-meter monkey off his back and a win over his biggest rival, Neeraj seems to be peaking at just the right time—and, more importantly, enjoying the moment.