Annu Rani Strikes Twice : Golden Season for India’s Javelin Queen
India’s Annu Rani, the reigning Asian Games champion, has made 2025 a golden year to remember. At the International Wiesław Maniak Memorial in Poland, she delivered a season-best throw of 62.59 metres, comfortably beating Turkey’s Eda Tugsuz (58.36 m) and Australia’s Lianna Davidson (58.24 m). Her first throw of 60.96 m was already enough to secure victory, but her second attempt surpassed expectations and placed her among the top 15 women’s javelin throwers in the world this season. Barely weeks later, Rani repeated her winning touch at the Indian Open 2025 World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze Meet in Bhubaneswar. With a best throw of 62.01 metres, she dominated the field, defeating Sri Lanka’s NDL Hatarabag Leka (56.27 m) and India’s Deepika (54.20 m). This win carried extra significance; it was India’s first time hosting a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze Level event, and Rani’s victory set the perfect tone for the historic meet.Eye on Tokyo: The Road to the World ChampionshipsRani’s focus now sharpens towards the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo next month. The qualification mark stands at 64 metres just 1.41 metres more than her Poland throw. With her current form and consistency in crossing the 60 m barrier, Rani is considered one of India’s strongest medal hopes on the global stage. The Journey: From Sugarcane Fields to Stadium GloryAnnu Rani Dharayan’s story is one of perseverance and breaking barriers. Born on 28 August 1992 in Bahadurpur village, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, to farmer Amarpal, her sporting journey began in an unusual way. Her brother, Upendra, noticed her upper body strength while she played cricket and started training her not with a javelin but with sugarcane sticks thrown across empty fields. When a real javelin was beyond their means, she crafted her first from bamboo. Against initial family resistance, Upendra supported her training, funding it himself. The turning point came in 2014 when Rani broke a 14-year-old national record, earning her father’s pride and full support.Breaking Records and Making HistoryAnnu Rani’s career has been a long journey filled with historic firsts for Indian women in javelin throw. She became the first Indian woman to reach a javelin final at the World Championships in 2019 and the first to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the event, claiming bronze in 2022. A two-time Olympian and the Asian Games gold medallist at Hangzhou in 2022, she also holds the national record with a personal best of 63.82 m set the same year. From her bronze medal at the 2014 Asian Games to her silver at the 2019 Asian Championships, Rani’s story is one of resilience, determination, and steady improvement, inspiring countless athletes across the country.A Consistent 2025 SeasonHer recent wins in Poland and Bhubaneswar are not isolated results. In 2025, she has maintained throws above 60 meters, signalling peak form. The Poland throw of 62.59 m is her best in nearly two years, reflecting both physical readiness and mental toughness. The Bhubaneswar meet also saw other Indian athletes shine, such as Murali Sreeshankar in the men’s long jump with 8.13 m, but Rani’s win stood out as a beacon of consistency and dominance. Rani’s journey resonates deeply beyond athletics. She is a living example of how talent, when supported and nurtured, can rise above social and financial limitations. For young girls in rural India, she is proof that dreams don’t have to be confined by geography or tradition.What’s Next?With the World Championships and qualification for the Paris 2028 Olympics in her long-term plans, Rani is focused on fine-tuning her release speed, strength, and technique. If she breaches the 64 m mark in Tokyo, it won’t just be a personal milestone; it will place Indian women’s javelin firmly on the global athletics map. From sugarcane fields in Meerut to world-class stadiums in Europe and India, Annu Rani’s 2025 season is a powerful chapter in an already historic career. Her gold medals in Poland and Bhubaneswar are more than just victories; they are reminders of how far determination, family support, and relentless practice can take an athlete. If her current form continues, the world could soon witness an Indian woman standing on the javelin podium at the World Championships. And when that moment comes, it will be collection of a journey that began not with a javelin, but with a stick of sugarcane in a small village field.