Doha Diamond League will be Neeraj Chopra’s first competitive event of 2026. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra has dropped to fifth in the latest World Athletics rankings released on June 16 after missing more than six months with a back injury sustained at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

Germany’s Julian Weber, who beat Neeraj at last year’s Doha Diamond League with a 91.06m throw, tops the rankings. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga, fresh from a world-leading 92.62m effort in Rome, is second, followed by Grenada’s Anderson Peters and Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott.

The Doha Diamond League marks Neeraj’s long-awaited return to competition. The 28-year-old, who was world No. 1 from May 2023 until August 24, 2025, faces a strong field featuring every top-ranked thrower except Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem. The spotlight will be on Neeraj’s duel with the in-form Tharanga in what promises to be a fiercely contested event.

Published on Jun 19, 2026