Federation Cup: Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra bags gold medal
Neeraj Chopra, the reigning world champion, clinched the gold medal in the men's javelin throw event final at the Federation Cup 2024 on May 15. The Indian javelin thrower recorded a best throw of 82.27m on his fourth attempt. He overtook DP Manu, who had the lead until Round 3 (82.06m). Chopra competed in his first national event since winning gold at Tokyo Games.
Why does this story matter?
Chopra competed in his first national-level event since winning a historic gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The Indian javelin star missed several domestic events in the previous two years due to injury and other concerns. However, Chopra ruled the roost at the World Athletics Championships and Asian Games. His Federation Cup gold gives him the much-required boost ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Chopra's winning throw of 82.27m
Chopra touched the 82-meter mark in his first attempt in the final. He made a foul in the second attempt before hitting 81.29m and 82.27m in his next two attempts. The Indian star did not throw in his remaining two attempts. DP Manu won the silver medal with his 82.06m throw, while Uttam Patil bagged bronze (78.39m).
12 athletes featured in the final
As many as 12 athletes participated in the final - Neeraj Chopra, DP Manu, Uttam Patil, Kishore Jena, Rohit Kumar, Shivpal Singh, Parmod, Kunwer Ajairaj Singh R, Manjinder Singh, Bibin Antony, and Vikas Yadav Vivek Kumar. Ahead of the event, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) announced that athletes to have thrown past 75m can directly feature in the final.
Chopra finished second at Doha Diamond League
Chopra was coming off a second-placed finish at the 2024 Doha Diamond League. He fell just two centimeters short of Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch, who bagged a 88.38m throw. Last year, Chopra clinched a historic gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest (Hungary). Chopra, who qualified with a massive 88.77m throw, clocked a remarkable 88.17m throw in the main event.
Other achievements of Chopra
Chopra also won the gold medal in the men's javelin throw final at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China (88.88m). In 2021, Chopra became the second Indian to secure an individual Olympic gold medal. Former shooter Abhinav Bindra was the first Indian to do so at the Olympics. He attained the feat at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Chopra has been close to 90m mark
Chopra has been trying to breach the 90m barrier. No Indian javelin thrower has ever achieved this feat. He was inches away from touching this mark at the 2022 Stockholm Diamond League, recording his best-ever throw of 89.94m. Chopra bettered his personal best record set in June that year at the Paavo Nurmi Games. He would want to script history in Paris this year.
