Olympics: Neeraj Chopra storms into javelin final after season best throw of 89.34m

PARIS, AUG 6 : It was one and one for Neeraj Chopra, much like the Tokyo Olympics. The reigning Olympic champion qualified for the men’s javelin final at the Paris Olympics after his first attempt, which was also his season-best effort. Neeraj threw 89.34m as he spent just 10 minutes on the field at the Stade de France on Tuesday, August 6.

Neeraj Chopra competed in Qualification Group B in the afternoon session in Paris after Julian Weber of Germany topped Qualification Group A with a best effort of 87.76m. And Neeraj laid down an early marker, sending a warning notice to the rest of the field in Paris.

This was the second-best throw of Neeraj Chopra’s career, only behind his personal best of 89.94m which came at the World Championships in 2022.

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Neeraj Chopra looked calm and composed as he completed his warm-up routines before he came up with the massive effort. Neeraj bettered his previous best of the season — 88.36m which came at the Doha Diamond League.

Notably, it is Neeraj Chopra’s best-ever throw at the Olympics, bettering his gold-medal winning throw from Tokyo — 87.58m.

PAKISTAN’S ARSHAD NADEEM INTO FINAL

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, World Championship silver medallist from 2023, also secured automatic qualification mark after just his first throw of 86.59m, which was his season best. Arshad is the only active Asian to have thrown in excess of 90m and he will be one of Neeraj’s biggest threats in the big final on August 8.

However, Kishore Jena was eliminated from the event after slipping out of the top 12 with a best effort of 80.73m. He finished 9th after the Qualification Group B.

The men’s javelin final promises to be a spectacle as the race for the top 3 heated up in the qualification. Grenada’s Anderson Peters, a two-time world champion who battled injury woes, laid down a marker with a season-best effort of 88.63m.

Germany’s Julian Weber of Germany finished with 87.76m at the third spot with Pakistan’s Arshad was at the fourth spot. Rio Olympics silver medallist Julius Yego also achieved automatic qualification with a season-best effort of 85.97m.

Tokyo Olympics silver medallist and Diamond Trophy winner in 2023, Jakub Vadlejch, qualified with 85.63m.

-PTI