By Rishab Vm

Copyright sportskeeda

Neeraj Chopra made a huge revelation after the World Athletics Championships 2025 final in Tokyo on Thursday, September 18. He failed to defend his title and finished eighth with a best throw of 84.03m. Neeraj admitted to having played the World Athletics Championships 2025 with a back injury. Post the final, he revealed that he was not fit enough. It also affected his belief and performance. “I could not get the throw today. You cannot change a lot in the competition, you only look to throw in the right direction with the right technique. I was not properly physically fit. When I am, I always have that belief. That was lacking a little today. But even then I was like I have to give it my all. Obviously till I was out I was not mentally ready to not be on the podium,” he told nnis Sports in an interview. This was the first time in seven years that Neeraj Chopra did not finish in the top three and win a medal in an international event. He stated that the back injury did not allow him to train properly before the World Athletics Championships 2025. The injury also affected his body and mindset. Neeraj Chopra explained what the back injury exactly is and when it happened. The Indian javelin star stated that he experienced discomfort while training earlier this month. He also got an MRI done and was unsure of his participation. However, he decided to participate eventually. “We were doing short-pull throw, where we do back throws and front throws. When I bent down to do the front throw, suddenly my left side, the block side, it felt like a jolt and I was not able to walk as well. This happened on 4th. We had a flight on the 6th and this happened during training on 4th. We then went to the doctor, got an MRI, and there was a problem in the disk. I don’t know exactly what it was. Then we came here. I was taking daily treatment. So I was in doubt mentally too. But we did some sessions and I could throw, so we decided that I would play. But this had a lot of impact,” he explained. The 27-year-old had won the World Athletics Championships 2023. It was a disappointing end to the season for him. This was also his final event of the year. Neeraj Chopra believes the tough result will make him strongerNeeraj Chopra expressed his disappointment after the World Athletics Championships 2025 final. However, he also believed that this setback would make him stronger. In the same interview, he appealed to people that anything could happen in sport. While he admitted that he could not succeed, Neeraj Chopra stated that such times only help athletes come back stronger. “Someone was asking me is this your level now? I said what are you talking. There is no pressure as such. I always like that there are expectations. I just want to tell people that anything can happen in sport. I have seen it and experienced it today. No matter what the reason, I was on the field and I could not succeed. But this time will make me stronger. I have always heard that whenever something goes wrong, an athlete comes back stronger,” he said. Meanwhile, India’s Sachin Yadav impressed in the final as well. With his personal best throw of 86.27m, he finished fourth.