Tokyo, Sept 19: Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott clinched the 2025 World Athletics Championship gold on Thursday, marking his first major title since winning Olympic gold in London 2012. The turnaround, Walcott acknowledged, came after he began training under Dr Klaus Bartonietz, the German biomechanics expert and former coach of India’s Neeraj Chopra.
For 75-year-old Bartonietz, Tokyo was a triumphant return. He had coached Chopra to Olympic gold at the same venue in 2021. While Chopra’s 2025 title defence ended in eighth place with a best of 84.03m, Bartonietz celebrated again as his new pupil stood atop the podium.
Walcott credited the coaching change for his resurgence. “Maybe some changes I made last year paid off. To change my coach was the best decision I have made recently,” he said.
Their partnership began unconventionally, with virtual training sessions starting in October 2024, before meeting in person in May 2025, shortly before the Doha Diamond League. Walcott later moved his training base to Germany, adopting Bartonietz’s biomechanics-focused, quality over quantity approach, which involved fewer than 20 throws per session emphasizing precision and efficiency.
“This approach took some getting used to, especially mentally, because you have to trust the coach and trust your mind,” Walcott explained. After fully committing to the system post-Doha, he unlocked his potential, culminating in a season-best throw of 88.16m in Tokyo. He edged out Grenada’s Anderson Peters (87.38m) and USA’s Curtis Thompson (86.67m) to claim gold.
For Chopra, the Tokyo event marked a rare stumble the first time since the Tokyo Olympics he finished outside the top two in an international competition. Another Indian, Sachin Yadav, finished fourth with a throw of 86.27m, narrowly missing the bronze by 0.40m in only his second international event.