It was a night that neither Neeraj Chopra nor Julian Weber will ever forget: the night they joined the 90-metre club.
For anyone who is anyone in the men’s javelin, 90 metres has long been the mark by which greatness is measured.
Yet when they began their 2025 Diamond League seasons in Doha last May, both India’s Chopra and Germany’s Weber were still chasing the elusive milestone.
Chopra had won Olympic gold in 2021, been crowned world champion in 2023 and had become the first Indian ever to win the Diamond League title in 2022.
Weber, meanwhile, was the 2022 European champion and had only narrowly missed out on a medal at both the last two World Championships and Olympic Games.
Neither man, however, had managed to add the 90-metre feather to their cap. Weber’s PB stood at 89.54m, while Chopra had come even closer with 89.94m. But the blot in their copybook remained: always an eighty, never a ninety.
In Doha, they both had a date with destiny.
All eyes were on Chopra in particular ahead of the season opener in the javelin, with the Indian hoping for some home support in a city with plenty of Indian fans.
“I’m always overwhelmed by the support I get from Indian people in Qatar,” he said. The crowd at the Qatar Sports Club is always loud, and I think that brings out the best in all of us. I know the fans expect big things from me when I compete here – and with good conditions and a great atmosphere that’s definitely possible.”
Doha, after all, has traditionally been one of the most javelin-friendly Diamond League meetings. As well as Thomas Röhler’s series record of 93.90m back in 2017, the Qatari capital had also seen 90-metre throws from Jakub Vadlejch and Anderson Peters in 2022.
Buoyed by that history and a passionate Indian fanbase, Chopra knew he would rarely get a better to chance to break the barrier. And he took it.
In the second round, the Indian landed an enormous 90.23m, shattering his own PB and with it the Indian record.
It was a moment of elation and relief for Chopra. Had it not been for what happened next, it would have been the moment of the night.
With victory seemingly certain for the Indian star, Weber suddenly also started firing on all cylinders.
Having crept towards the lead with 89.94m in the fifth, the German then unleashed an astonishing 91.06m with his final throw, stealing Chopra’s thunder and completing one of the greatest competitions in javelin history.
“I was really happy for Neeraj because he had been fighting for that 90-metre throw for some time and it was really special to achieve it tonight,” said Weber, after inviting his rival to join him for a photo at the OMEGA board after the competition.
A few months later, Weber joined Chopra in the Diamond League hall of fame, snapping up a further victory in Brussels before clearing 90 metres at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich.
The German’s title-winning 91.51m was the furthest throw ever at a Diamond League Final, cementing his status as one of the greatest javelin throwers in the series’ history.
