The 24-year-old Chopra’s first competitive event after just over 10 months was nothing short of extraordinary as he nearly touched the coveted 90m mark, considered the gold standard in the world of javelin throw.
India’s ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra set another public record as he tossed 89.30 meters at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland. Chopra’s prior public record was 88.07m which he had set in Patiala in March a year ago. He had won the Tokyo Olympics gold with a throw of 87.58m on August 7, 2021. Neeraj Chopra is India’s very first Olympic gold medallist in games and just the second individual gold medallist at Olympics.
Neeraj Chopra won the silver decoration with his throw at the occasion. This was Neeraj’s first competitive outing since winning the historic gold medal at the Tokyo Games. Finland’s Oliver Helander won the gold decoration at the occasion with a toss of 89.83 meters.
Chopra’s earlier national record was 88.07m which he had set in Patiala in March the year before. He had won the Tokyo Olympics gold with a toss of 87.58m on August 7, 2021.
He opened with an amazing 86.92m prior to sending the lance to 89.30m. His next three attempts were fouls while he came up 85.85m in his 6th and last toss.
Finland’s 25-year-old Oliver Helander, who has an individual best of 88.02m and season’s best of 80.36m, was the unexpected gold champ with a best toss of 89.83m which he created in his second attempt.
Chopra’s 89.30m efforts will take him to fifth spot on the planet season leaders’ rundown.
Ruling title holder Anderson Peters of Grenada, the pre-event favourite with his reality driving beast toss of 93.07m while winning gold in the Doha Diamond League last month, was third with a best exertion of 86.60m. This was Peters’ most memorable loss after seven successes on the run this season.
2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago was fourth with a best toss of 84.02m, trailed by Germany’s Julian Weber (84.02m) and Czech Republic’s Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch (83.91m), who had won silver in Doha with a throw of 90.88m.
Chopra’s rival and friend Johannes Vetter of Germany, who has a greatest number of 90m-in addition throws among the dynamic lance hurlers, was set to participate in the Paavo Nurmi Games but had removed.
Chopra had said in ongoing media interactions that he wouldn’t put himself under tension with the prospect of tossing past 90m and would hope to develop bit by bit to top during the July 15-24 World Championships in Eugene, USA.
The Paavo Nurmi Games are named after the unbelievable Finnish center and marathon runner. It is a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series occasion, one of the most esteemed rivalries outside the Diamond League Meetings.
The opposition coordinators have given an additional a motivator to the lance hurlers: any individual who tosses past the Finnish record of 93.09m will win a Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV. No one won it on Tuesday however Peters said in a lighter vein on Monday that he would be making it work.
More than 10,000 people turned up to watch the events.
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Chopra will next take part in the Kourtane Games in Finland on Saturday where he is currently based. He will feature in the Stockholm leg of the Diamond League on June 30. He had earlier trained in the USA and Turkey before shifting base to Finland last month.
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