India, Sept. 18 -- Neeraj Chopra faced heartbreak in Tokyo on Thursday, failing to defend his World Athletics Championships title in the men's javelin throw final. He had to settle for a measly eighth spot and was also outperformed by debutant and countryman Sachin Yadav. Yadav registered a personal best to finish in fourth position. Chopra was eliminated after the fifth and penultimate round, with a best effort of 84.03m.

Trinidadian athlete Keshorn Walcott clinched gold with a best throw of 88.16m, and Grenada Anderson Peters (87.38m) came second. Meanwhile, American athlete Curtis Thompson bagged bronze with a best throw of 86.67m.

Speaking after the final, a disappointed Neeraj blamed injury issues for the result and revealed that a...