Neeraj Chopra Secures World Championships Finals Spot with Opening Throw
Defending champion clears 84.50m automatic mark in Group A to storm into Tokyo final, set to face Arshad Nadeem and other top contenders.
Tokyo, Sep 17: Defending champion Neeraj Chopra made a stunning start at the World Championships, securing his place in the men’s javelin throw final with his very first attempt. Chopra, 27, launched his spear to 84.85m in Group A of the qualification round on Wednesday, comfortably surpassing the automatic qualification mark of 84.50m.
Chopra, who was the first thrower, completed his session immediately after making the final. The top 12 finishers or those clearing the qualifying mark advance to Thursday’s final round. Group A also featured stars like Germany’s Julian Weber (87.21m), Keshorn Walcott, Jakub Vadlejch, and India’s Sachin Yadav, while Group B includes Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, Anderson Peters, Julius Yego, and rising talents like Rohit Yadav and Yashvir Singh.
At the last edition in Budapest, Chopra had won gold with a throw of 88.17m, while Nadeem (87.82m) and Vadlejch (86.67m) took silver and bronze. This year, Chopra has the chance to become the third male javelin thrower in history to defend the World Championships title, joining Czech legend Jan Zelezny now Chopra’s coach and Anderson Peters.
The final will also serve as a rematch with Nadeem, who had edged out Chopra at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a throw of 92.97m. Chopra, who had thrown 89.45m in Paris, will aim to reclaim supremacy on the global stage.
