Athletics
World record feels distant, but I can break Zelezny’s 33 top-2 finishes record: Neeraj Chopra
Neeraj Chopra talked about his changes in technique, his partnership with Jan Zelezeny, and the successful NC Classic.

Neeraj Chopra. (Photo credit: Wanda Diamond League)
New Delhi: India’s ‘Golden Boy’ Neeraj Chopra continues to set new benchmarks by breaking records at nearly every competition and cementing his place among javelin’s all-time greats.
One such milestone is his 25th consecutive top-2 finish in international competitions, achieved at the NC Classic in Bengaluru, tying him for second place in the longest streaks of top-2 finishes.
He trails only his coach, Jan Železný, who holds an impressive record of 33 consecutive top-2 finishes—a target Neeraj aims to surpass in the coming years.
“Usually, these achievements go unnoticed, but now that this streak is in the spotlight, it’s become a new goal for me to chase Železný’s 33 consecutive top-2 finishes. The world record might be too far, but I believe I can achieve this feat,” Neeraj told the media on the sidelines of the launch of Under Armour’s all-new Brand House in Gurugram on Friday.
Recently, Jan Železný has taken on the role of coaching Neeraj, focusing on refining his techniques. The partnership has been fruitful, with Neeraj appearing more confident in competitions.
“Jan is incredibly supportive, guiding me through training and technique. When I attend our training camp in the Czech Republic, he ensures I have all the support and resources I need,” Neeraj shared.
However, Neeraj acknowledges a challenge in translating his training success into competition results. “The main issue is that I struggle to replicate my training performance during competitions, even though I execute perfectly in practice,” he admitted.
Changes in technique with Jan Zelezeny
Neeraj Chopra is refining his technique under the guidance of world record holder Jan Železný, leading to his long-awaited first-ever 90m+ throw at the Doha Diamond League earlier this year.
“The key adjustment in my technique was correcting the javelin’s leftward drift in its final phase. We focused on eliminating this slight inaccuracy, which was wasting my power and strength,” Neeraj explained regarding his technical changes.
"Also, we are working on my runup, and we sorted it out in a few competitions like Doha and Paris Diamond league, but then it was average in Bengaluru and even in Ostrava, I was feeling that I could go good today, but it wasn't happening." He further added.
Last year, Neeraj was also troubled with a groin injury, and because of that, he has also missed a few tournaments, but now he is feeling better in that aspect, thanks to advice from Jan's previous trainer.
“This year, my groin injury hasn’t been an issue. After visiting Prague, Jan’s previous trainer introduced me to specific exercises that I’ve been doing regularly, which have improved my flexibility and kept the injury in check,” Neeraj shared about his recovery.
Successful organisation of the NC Classic
Recently, India's first-ever Javelin-only global meet took place in Bengaluru last week, named after India's living legend Neeraj Chopra, who also won that tournament with a throw of 86.18m.
"It's a very good feeling. I was not sure how the crowd would show up (at NC Classic), but they came in big numbers, and almost 15000+ fans were there, and everyone loved the event." Neeraj expressed his views on the first-ever NC Classic.
"The best part of the tournament was that our fans not only cheered me but they also supported all the athletes participating there, and these athletes also liked the environment of the event." He appreciated the crowd's support.
Neeraj was among the organizers of the first edition of this Neeraj Chopra Classic, and he was checking each and everything himself to give all the foreign athletes a great welcome.
"There was a big pressure as my name is associated with the event, so I was checking everything from food to hotels, and it was a feeling like I had welcomed all of them for dinner at home, and hence everything should be perfect," Neeraj shared about his experience of organizing such a global spectacle for the first time.
Neeraj's coach, Zelezany, was also present at the tournament, adding four stars to this star-studded tournament. Zelezany also liked the way the event went and appreciated Neeraj's effort.
"He gave his all life to javelin and even coached us, so he feels very good with the organisation of such an event, and he even thanked me for growing this discipline across the world and also in India." Neeraj expressed Jan's views on NC Classic.
Neeraj also mentioned that he sees the Indian future can be bright in this discipline, especially given the fact that Javelin throw has a similar pattern to fast bowling in cricket, which is highly popular in India.
"I'm very keen on seeing how the cricketers do the javelin event, mostly the bowlers, as their momentum is almost the same as a javelin thrower, although there are differences, like a javelin weighs around 800g," Neeraj mentioned the similarities between Cricket and Javelin.
Neeraj is known for his success rate on the first throw of the competition, but he said he doesn't want to depend on that and wants to give 100% even if his first throw doesn't go well.
"Sometimes, the first throws didn't go well, but I still want to keep myself calm and give my best and just think that I have five more throws to better that, " Neeraj concluded.