By News18
Two-time World Championship gold-medallist javelin thrower Anderson Peters withdrew from the Neeraj Chopra Classic on Tuesday due to an ankle injury, presenting another setback to the prestigious event.
The 27-year-old Grenadian, who secured a bronze medal behind Neeraj at last year鈥檚 Paris Olympics, will be replaced by Poland鈥檚 Cyprian Mrzyg艂贸d in the event scheduled for Saturday.
Mrzyg艂贸d, the 2019 European U23 champion, achieved his best throw of 84.97 metres during the event.
鈥淎nderson Peters has been ruled out of the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 due to an ankle injury sustained during his last competition. Poland鈥檚 Cyprian Mrzyg艂贸d has been named as his replacement in the final lineup,鈥 the organisers announced.
The event, organised by double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra in collaboration with JSW Sports and sanctioned by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), features 12 javelin throwers, including five Indians, and has already seen three replacements.
Peters has had a long-standing rivalry with Chopra. The Grenadian successfully defended his World Championships title in 2022, defeating Neeraj with three throws over 90 metres. Peters also secured a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where Neeraj did not compete.
On Monday, Indian thrower Kishore Jena, also struggling with an ankle injury, withdrew from the NC Classic and was replaced by Yashvir Singh.
Earlier, on June 6, Poland鈥檚 Martin Konecny had replaced Asian Games bronze medallist Genki Dean of Japan.
What Is Neeraj Chopra Classic?
India鈥檚 first-ever international javelin competition, initially scheduled for May 24, was postponed due to military tensions between India and Pakistan.
The confirmed international lineup now includes Mrzyg艂贸d, Poland鈥檚 Martin Konecny, 2016 Olympic gold medallist Thomas R枚hler (Germany), 2015 world champion Julius Yego (Kenya), Curtis Thompson (USA), Luiz Mauricio da Silva (Brazil), and Rumesh Pathirage (Sri Lanka).
The Indian contingent will feature Asian Championships silver medallist Sachin Yadav, Rohit Yadav, Sahil Silwal, Yashvir Singh, alongside Neeraj.
Granted Category A status by World Athletics, the event is considered a 鈥渄ream project鈥 of Chopra and aims to establish India as a credible host of elite-level athletics events.
With PTI Inputs