Bengaluru, June 6 (IANS) Excitement for the upcoming Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 has certainly increased after the organisers gathered a star-studded lineup that will take part in the tournament.

Paris Olympic bronze medallist and two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, along with Rio Olympic silver medallist and former World Champion Julius Yego of Kenya, are among the top stars who will be participating in the competition in India. The Tokyo Olympic Games gold medallist and the 2023 World Champion, Neeraj Chopra, will be the top attraction in the one-day event named after him. Kishore Jena will join Rohit Yadav, Sachin Yadav, and Sahil Silwal to complete the Indian lineup for the event.

The line-up also includes Pan American Games champion Curtis Thompson of the USA, Thomas Rohler (Germany), the 2016 Olympic Champion, Brazil’s Luiz Mauricio da Silva, and Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage.

The tournament is now set to take place on July 5 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru after having previously been scheduled to take place on May 24

The event was deferred due to the India-Pakistan conflict, keeping security in mind, and to show solidarity with the nation.

This landmark event, India’s first-ever international javelin throw competition, is spearheaded by India’s most decorated Olympian, Neeraj Chopra, in collaboration with JSW Sports and sanctioned by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).

The one-day javelin throw meet is classified as a World Athletics ‘A’ category event, equating to a Continental Tour Gold-level competition in ranking points.

The NC Classic 2025 will serve as a crucial qualification event for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo from September 13 to 21, though Neeraj, the reigning world champion, has already secured his spot.

The event was earlier scheduled to be held on May 24 but was postponed because of the India-Pakistan conflict following the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 tourists lost their lives.

Set to become the first-ever World Athletics ‘A’ category or Continental Tour Gold-level event to be held in India, the NC Classic was initially to be held at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula, Haryana, before being shifted to Bengaluru due to issues with floodlights at the originally proposed venue.

–IANS

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