Neeraj Chopra required only a single attempt to secure his place in the men’s javelin final at the Paris Olympics. The defending champion achieved his season’s best with an impressive throw of 89.34 meters, surpassing the coveted 90-meter mark and leading the qualification rounds of the men’s javelin event on Tuesday.
Neeraj’s performance was marked by a remarkable sense of ease and composure, lacking the exuberant celebration typically seen among athletes after a successful throw. Upon releasing the javelin, he maintained a calm demeanor, and it was only when the cameras shifted to follow the javelin’s trajectory that the significance of his throw became apparent, measuring 89.35 meters.
At that moment, Neeraj raised his arms triumphantly. The expression on his face conveyed a powerful message that resonated throughout the Stade de France, touching the hearts of his fellow competitors. Similar to his performance at the Tokyo Olympics, the 26-year-old surpassed the automatic qualifying threshold of 84 meters with his initial throw, securing the leading position in Group B.
This remarkable achievement, which ranks as the second-best of his career, alleviated concerns regarding Chopra’s fitness, especially after he disclosed that he had been dealing with an adductor issue leading up to the Games. His personal best remains at 89.94 meters, a record set in 2022.
Kishore Jena, the other Indian competitor, was eliminated from the race for a place in the 12-man final on Thursday after recording a disappointing throw of 80.73 meters. In Group B, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, the current Commonwealth Games champion, secured his spot in the finals with a throw of 86.59 meters. Also advancing from the same group was Grenada’s seasoned athlete, Anderson Peters, who achieved a throw of 88.63 meters.
The standout performance of the day came from Chopra, who made a remarkable impact in a matter of minutes—truly a demonstration of ‘he came, he threw, and he triumphed.’ Earlier, Jena had finished ninth in the Group A qualification round with his lackluster throw of 80.73 meters, which ultimately eliminated him from the finals.
Competitors who achieve a throw of 84 meters or more, or at least the top 12 performers from Groups A and B combined, will qualify for the final scheduled for Thursday. Jena’s initial throw measured 80.73 meters, followed by a foul on his second attempt, concluding with a final throw of 80.21 meters.
Julian Weber from Germany led Group A with a first-round throw of 87.76 meters, while former world champion Julius Yego from Kenya and Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Jakub Vadlejch from Czechia secured the second and third positions with throws of 85.97 meters and 85.63 meters, respectively. Toni Keranen of Finland also surpassed the automatic qualification threshold of 84 meters with a throw of 85.27 meters. Jena had previously secured an automatic berth for the Olympics with his silver medal-winning throw of 87.54 meters at the Asian Games in October of the previous year.
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