 "Neeraj Chopra (Pic-Twitter)")
Neeraj Chopra (Pic-Twitter)
Neeraj Chopra narrowly missed retaining his gold medal in the men’s javelin throw at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, securing silver with a best throw of 89.45 metres.
ALSO READ: Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem claims gold in Paris with new Olympics record
Chopra managed only one throw of his six attempts
Chopra’s strongest throw came on his second attempt, but four consecutive foul throws hindered his chances of clinching the gold. Despite a strong performance in the qualification round, where he recorded a throw of 89.34 metres, Chopra could not surpass his season’s best in the final.
Chopra made history as the second male athlete from India, post-independence, to win two Olympic medals in an individual event.
Wrestler Sushil Kumar (2008 and 2012) and shuttler PV Sindhu (2016 and 2021) were the other two athletes with back-to-back Olympic medal.
Congratulations #NeerajChopra on winning the silver medal at the #ParisOlympics. Amazing effort to win two back to back olympic medals.His dedication and hard work is commendable. He has always made India proud. He won gold in the Tokyo Olympics and silver in the… pic.twitter.com/FPYtXVBq7R
— Yuvrajsinh Jadeja (@YAJadeja) August 8, 2024
How the competetion panned out?
Grenada’s Anderson Peters secured the bronze medal with a throw of 88.54 metres, narrowly edging out the Czech Republic’s Yakub Vadlejch, who finished fourth with a throw of 88.50 metres. Kenya’s Julius Yego followed in fifth place with a season-best throw of 87.72 metres.
The competitive field witnessed as many as seven athletes surpass the 86-metre mark, with three achieving season-best performances and one setting a new Olympic record. Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott also celebrated his season’s best with a throw of 86.16 metres, finishing seventh in the 12-man final.
Before this event, Neeraj Chopra had never lost to Arshad Nadeem in their previous ten meetings. However, Nadeem’s outstanding performance, with a monster throw of 92.97 metres—the sixth-longest in history—came as a stunning surprise at the Stade de France. This throw, delivered on his second attempt, was like a bolt from the blue, leaving the competition in awe.
This victory also marked a significant moment for the 27-year-old Nadeem, as he avenged his loss to Chopra at the 2023 Budapest World Championships. It was not the first time Nadeem had crossed the 90-metre mark; he had previously achieved a throw of 90.18 metres to win gold at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Nadeem is only the second Asian athlete to have thrown beyond 90 metres, joining Chao-Tsun Cheng of Chinese Taipei, who threw 91.36 metres in 2017.
Neeraj Chopra profile
Hailing from a humble village in Haryana, Neeraj’s rise to stardom has been nothing short of meteoric. His journey began with a raw talent for athletics, which was nurtured by supportive coaches and unwavering determination. The young prodigy quickly made waves in the domestic circuit, showcasing his exceptional potential.
The turning point in Neeraj’s career came in 2016 when he clinched a gold medal at the IAAF World U20 Championships, announcing his arrival on the global stage. However, the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 catapulted Neeraj into the stratosphere of sporting greatness. With a final throw of 87.58 meters, he secured India’s first-ever Olympic gold in athletics and became a national hero overnight.
Neeraj, who first picked javelin just to manage his weight during his early childhood, has now completed the sport and has won everything javelin throw has to offer by winning medals in the Summer Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Diamond League, Asian Games, Asian Championships, South Asian Games and World Championships. Notably, he has also won a gold medal in the World Junior Championships and a silver medal in the Asian Junior Championships.
Neeraj Chopra: All medals list
Summer Olympics
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2020 Tokyo Olympics: Gold -
2024 Paris Olympics: Silver
Commonwealth Games
World Championships
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2022 Eugene: Silver -
2023 Budapest: Gold
Asian Games
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2018 Jakarta: Gold -
2022 Hangzhou: Gold
Diamonds League
Asian Championships
South Asian Games
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2016 Guwahati/Shillong: Gold
World Junior Championships
Asian Junior Championship
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2016 HoChi Minh City: Silver
First Published: Aug 09 2024 | 1:39 AM IST
