Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra breaks national record: Key stats
Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra, on Thursday, broke his own national record at the Stockholm Diamond League after throwing a record 89.94m. The 24-year-old bettered his personal best record which he set in June at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland. Chopra was inches away from touching the 90m-mark. Last year, he secured India's first Olympic gold in athletics at the Tokyo Games.
Chopra threw 88.07m at Paavo Nurmi Games
In June, Chopra managed to set a new national record in men's javelin throw at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland. He went on to finish second. Participating in his first competition since winning the gold at Tokyo Olympics, Neeraj came up with a throw of 89.30m. He broke his national record of 88.07m set at the Indian Grand Prix in Patiala in 2021.
A look at his performance at Diamond League
Chopra surpassed his own record at the Diamond League, finishing second. A look at his six throws - First: 89.94, Second: 84.37, Third: 87.46, Fourth: 84.77, Fifth: 86.67, Sixth: 86.84. Notably, world champion Anderson Peters, who topped the standings, hit the 90m-mark (90.31m).
A look at his record-breaking throw
How did Chopra fare in 2021?
Chopra had a superb 2021, winning the gold medal at the Meeting Cidade de Lisboa in Portugal. He clocked 83.18m to remain ahead of the rest. He clinched the gold medal at Folksam Grand Prix in Sweden with a throw of 80.96m. Chopra took home the bronze medal at Kourtane Games with a throw of 86.79m. He then won gold in Tokyo.
Second Indian to clinch an individual Olympic gold
In 2021, Chopra became the second Indian to clinch an individual Olympic gold. Former shooter Abhinav Bindra was the first Indian to do so at Olympics. He attained the feat at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Before him, India had won eight gold medals in field hockey (team event). Notably, Chopra claimed Independent India's first medal in athletics.
Will Chopra break the 90m-barrier?
Chopra has been trying to breach the 90m barrier. Notably, no Indian javelin thrower has ever achieved this feat. "After the first throw, I thought I could throw even over 90m today," said Chopra after breaking his national record at the Diamond League. Chopra is set to compete at the World Championships scheduled to be held from July 15 to 24 in Eugene, USA.
