While making history as the first Indian to secure gold at the World Athletics Championships, Neeraj Chopra disclosed his original ambition of surpassing the 90m milestone during the final javelin throw event. Despite his hopes, the outcome did not align exactly with his aspirations. Neeraj’s most impressive throw occurred during his second attempt, measuring at 88.17 meters. T
his achievement allowed him to maintain his lead throughout the competition, ultimately securing the gold medal. The silver medal was claimed by Arshad Nadeem, the Commonwealth Games champion, who achieved a throw of 87.82 meters. Jakub Vadlejch from the Czech Republic secured the bronze medal with his best throw reaching 86.67 meters.
Neeraj who looked a bit disappointed told reporters in the post-match conference, “I wanted to throw more than 90m tonight. But it needs all parts of the puzzle to be there. I couldn’t put it all together this evening. Maybe next time.”
Even though the 25-year-old athlete claimed the lead during the second round, a position he held unchallenged until the conclusion of the final, he still had a strong desire to surpass his personal record and achieve a greater distance in his ultimate throw.
“After the second round, I was thinking of pushing myself because I knew that I could get a better throw. But there is a lot of pressure on technique and speed. We have to push a lot in the qualifying round. There was only a single day for recovery so it was also a big factor. I go forward with the motivation of pushing myself till the last throw,” Neeraj said.
The Tokyo Olympics gold medal winner was not the sole Indian contender in the final event. Kishore Jena, achieving a best throw of 84.77 meters, and DP Manu, with a best throw of 84.14 meters, were also part of the competition and concluded in the fifth and sixth positions, respectively.
This event marked Neeraj’s second medal at the World Championships, as he previously secured a silver in 2022. Notably, Anju Bobby George had previously secured a bronze for India in the 2003 World Championships in the women’s long jump category. Neeraj’s achievements also include winning gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2018 Asian Games.
Neeraj is set to return to the field at the Hangzhou Asian Games, scheduled from September 23 to October 8. This competition will serve as the final major event of the year for the 25-year-old javelin thrower.
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