Neeraj Chopra wins gold in men’s javelin throw – Firstpost

Returning to competition after a month due to an issue, reigning Olympic javelin throw champion Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal at the 2024 Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland on Tuesday. Neeraj finished with a best throw of 85.97m on his third attempt and was in the lead for much of Tuesday’s event.

The competition also featured 19-year-old Max Dehning of Germany, who in February became the youngest person to cross the 90m barrier. Neeraj, on the other hand, bettered his record from 2022, when he won a silver medal. Max, however, finished seventh out of eight athletes with a score of 79.84m.

Home favorite Toni Keranen took silver with a personal best of 84.19m, while compatriot and 2022 gold medalist Oliver Helander took third place with 83.96m.

Chopra started with 83.62m, which could not be surpassed by any of her competitors in the first round of throws. Helander took first place with a second-round throw of 83.96 m, but Chopra quickly overthrew him with 85.97 m, which remained unmatched for the rest of the competition.

THE GOLDEN THROW. ✨🤩#NeerajChopra #PaavoNurmiGames #TeamIndia #BharatArmy pic.twitter.com/NYAJ9nbgIL

– The Bharat Army (@thebharatarmy) June 18, 2024

The 26-year-old knew his effort was special the moment he sent the spear flying as he raised his hands in celebration and let out a signature roar that became an indicator of his strong performance.

With Tuesday’s powerful performance, Chopra also staked her claim as favorite for gold at the Paris Olympics next month.

However, the distance covered was nowhere near the 89.30m with which he managed to win a silver medal in this event two years ago. Chopra had improved this mark to 89.94m during the Stockholm leg of the Diamond League the same year.

Among others, two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada finished fourth with 82.58m, while 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago was lower in sixth place after successfully achieving his best of the season at 81.93 m.

Chopra withdrew from the Golden Spike in Ostrava last month as a precaution after “feeling something” in his adductors (a group of muscles located on the inside of the thighs).

He began his season at the Doha Diamond League in May, where he finished second with his final throw of 88.36m, the ninth best mark of his career.

Chopra also participated in the National Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, where he won the gold medal with a disappointing effort of 82.27m.

After the Paavo Nurmi Games, Chopra will next be seen in action at the Paris Diamond League on July 7.

He withdrew from the national inter-state athletics in Panchkula to be held from June 27 to avoid a busy schedule ahead of the Olympics.

With PTI inputs