Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra bags gold at Paavo Nurmi Games
First Published: 19th June, 2024 9:51 IST
Two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada was fourth with 82.58m.
India’s Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal in the men’s javelin throw competition at the Paavo Nurmi Games 2024 athletics meet in Turku, Finland on Tuesday.
The Indian javelin ace, whose personal best of 89.94m is the Indian men’s national record, logged his best throw of the night, a modest 85.97m in his third attempt to clinch the top podium.
Finland’s Toni Keranen won the silver medal with a personal best of 84.19m throw while his compatriot Oliver Helander, who had denied Neeraj the gold at the meet two years ago, took the bronze with 83.96m.
Two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada was fourth with 82.58m.
Neeraj Chopra, the reigning world and Olympic champion, was competing in his third event of the year.
On the road to defend his crown at the Paris 2024 Olympics later this year, Neeraj started his season with a second-place finish at the Doha Diamond League on May 10 with an 88.36m throw.
He then logged a modest 82.27m to bag the gold medal at the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar five days later. It was his first competition in India since becoming an Olympic champion.
Neeraj was also scheduled to compete at the Ostrava Golden Spike athletics meet in Czechia late last month but did not participate as a precautionary measure after a muscle tweak during a training session.
Neeraj Chopra‘s throws at Paavo Nurmi Games 2024: 1. 83.62m; 2. 83.45m, 3. 85.97m; 4. 82.21m; 5. X; 6. 82.97m
Returning to action at the Turku meet, the Tokyo 2020 gold medallist began proceedings with an 83.62m mark with his first throw to lead the first series but was knocked off his perch by Helander in the next round.
An 85.97m throw in the third series saw the Indian ace regain his lead and stay on top till the end.
Germany’s 19-year-old Max Dehning, the youngest javelin thrower to breach the 90m mark, finished seventh in the eight-man field with 79.84m.
Dehning had recorded a world-leading 90.20m throw at a meet in Halle in February.
London 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago produced a season’s best 81.93m to finish sixth in Turku. (ANI)
COMMENTS
TOPMOST STORY NOW
Live Rikman G Momin Re-Elected as Meghalaya BJP President
20th January 2025Live 2nd All Assam Inter Tea Garden Football Tournament To Kick Off In Dibrugarh On Jan 23
20th January 2025Live Tripura: Decomposed Carcass of Jumbo Found in Kalyanpur Forest Division
20th January 2025Live Arunachal: Ering Urges Action on Illegal Encroachments in D. Ering Wildlife Sanctuary; Khandu to Discuss with Sarma Soon
20th January 2025WE RECOMMEND
Shreyas Iyer To Lead Punjab Kings in Indian Premier League 2025
Punjab Kings CEO Satish Menon said that Iyer's vision for the team aligns perfectly with the goals of the franchise.
13th January 2025Shami returns, Bumrah rested as India announce squad for T20I series against England
Suryakumar Yadav will lead the Men in Blue in the five-match series, while, spinner Axar Patel will be the deputy of the 34-year-old.
12th January 2025Djokovic claims being poisoned by “heavy metal, mercury” during COVID detention in Australia
Djokovic revealed that when he returned to Serbia, he felt a high-level presence of "heavy metal and mercury" in his body.
10th January 2025Arunachal’s 37 Players To Participate In National Games To Be Held In Uttarakhand
The 38th National Games, an Olympic-style multi-sport event, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The
09th January 2025BGT 2024-25: Rohit Sharma “Rested”; Gill, Krishna in as Bumrah-Led India Decide to Bat Against Australia at Sydney
Australia's star pacer Mitchell Starc struggled with fitness during the Melbourne Test, experiencing upper body discomfort and rib soreness.
03rd January 2025