Neeraj Chopra shines amid India’s persistent doping woes in 2025

While 2025 proved to be a bitter-sweet year for Indian athletics, Neeraj Chopra emerged as the nation’s brightest star, breaking the elusive 90m mark in the javelin throw even as the sport grappled with a worsening doping crisis. The 27-year-old Chopra cleared 90.23m at the Doha Diamond League, joining an elite group of 25 athletes worldwide to achieve the feat. He also claimed victories at the Paris Diamond League, the Golden Spike meet, and the inaugural NC Classic, hosting one of these events in front of a home crowd for the first time. However, a back injury hampered his campaign at the World Championships in Tokyo , where he finished eighth with a best throw of 84.03m, overshadowed by compatriot Sachin Yadav’s impressive fourth-place finish at 86.27m.

Amid his sporting highs, Chopra tied the knot with tennis player Himani Mor in a private ceremony in Himachal Pradesh, sharing glimpses of the event on social media. The year thus marked both personal and professional milestones for India’s Olympic champion, even as the country’s athletics scene struggled to stay clean.

Despite Chopra’s brilliance, India continued to battle doping issues. The Athletics Integrity Unit listed 128 Indian athletes as ineligible to compete due to doping offences, keeping the country second globally. High-profile cases included Olympian Shivpal Singh, former Asian Games medallist Seema Punia, sprinter Sekar Dhanalakshmi, and Pradhan Vilas Kirulakar, among others. The year also saw unprecedented suspensions of an athlete-coach duo and two minors, highlighting the scale of the problem. Coaches, including former junior team head Ramesh Nagpuri, Karamveer Singh, and Rakesh, faced bans for complicity or administration of prohibited substances. Alarmed by the rising number of cases, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) set up a dedicated anti-doping cell and mandated all coaches, qualified or otherwise, to register on its portal. Only athletes training with registered coaches will now be considered for national honours like the Arjuna and Khel Ratna awards.

India also strengthened its position as a host for international athletics events. The country successfully organized a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze-level meet in Bhubaneswar in August 2025, which is set to be upgraded to silver level next year. The AFI has made bids for the 2028 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships and the 2026 Asian Relays, while preparations are underway for the first National Indoor Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar in March 2026. Leadership changes at the federation saw former shot putter Bahadur Sagoo take over as AFI chief from Adille Sagoo.

While Neeraj Chopra continues to shine on the field, India’s athletics community faces a challenging path ahead to combat doping and nurture emerging talent, balancing moments of pride with a persistent battle against a deep-rooted problem.