Picture Credit: X
India’s ‘Golden Boy’ and ace javelin thrower, Neeraj Chopra, who recently rose to World No. 1 rankings in men’s javelin throw, in his recent interaction named former Australian cricketer and bowling sensation, Brett Lee as a cricketer who could take up javelin. The comments from the 27-year-old Olympian came just days ahead of the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025, which is scheduled to be held on July 5 in Bengaluru.
Speaking with JioStar, Neeraj Chopra when questioned to pick a cricketer he believes would be best suited to take up javelin said, “I have heard that Brett Lee was a javelin thrower. I think he could throw the javelin well, especially when he was in his peak years.” While the two-time Olympic medallist also named Jasprit Bumrah as a capable candidate who could successfully throw, while hailing his exceptional bowling skills.
I’m nowhere to what Neeraj does & continues to do..: Brett Lee drops humble response to Neeraj’s request
But hours after Neeraj Chopra’s pick, the former Aussie pacer took to X to downplay the compliment. In a post on X, Lee wrote, “I did throw the javelin back at my schooling days, but nowhere near what Neeraj does & continues to do so...Very tough on the elbow. I have, however, admired what this fine athlete can do and wish him well.”
The ace Indian athlete has been exceptional at the sport and recently dethroned Grenada’s Anderson Peters to reclaim the top spot in the men’s javelin throw rankings released by World Athletics. The 27-year-old surpassed Peters’ tally of 1431 to reach 1445 points after losing the spot in September 2024, shortly after Paris Olympics silver medal win.
As he gets ready to headline his very own, one-of-a-kind event, Neeraj Chopra Classic, he is coming after a back-to-back victories. While he won the 2025 Paris Diamond League, register his first win in the prestigious tournament after two years with a 88.16m throw, he followed it with a gold medal performance at the 64th Ostrava Golden Spike 2025.
