Neeraj Chopra has qualified for the finals of the men's javelin throw event at the World Athletics Championships 2023, which is being held in Budapest. The Olympics gold medallist recorded a throw of 88.77m in his first attempt itself, which was enough to secure his place in the final.
It also happens to be among Neeraj's best throw of the year, surpassing his previously recorded 88.67m and 87.66m attempts in the Doha Diamond League and Lausanne Diamond League respectively.
A total of 37 javelin throwers have been divided into two groups, with a total of 12 athletes set to qualify for the final. Neeraj was a part of Group A, which also included Anderson Peters, the current World Champion, and Germany’s Julian Weber. A throw of 83m or more leads to direct qualification, with Neeraj being the only athlete from his group to achieve this mark.
After winning the silver medal in this competition a year ago, Neeraj will be aiming to win his maiden gold medal at the World Athletics Championships. He has had a successful season so far, having won won both the Doha and Lausanne legs of the Diamond league earlier this year.
Should Neeraj clinch a gold medal, he will become the first Indian to do so at the World Athletics Championships. With his silver medal triumph in the last edition, he became only the second athlete from his country to win a medal at the tournament, with Anju Bobby George being the first one to do so.
Whilst securing his place in the finals of the tournament, Neeraj has also officially qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics. At the French capital next year, he will be looking forward to defending his gold medal from Tokyo, which he achieved with a throw of 87.58m.
DP Manu qualifies for the final
Another Indian javelin thrower, DP Manu , who was in the same group as Neeraj Chopra in the World Athletics Championships qualifiers, has also qualified for the finals. Though he couldn't reach the 83m mark to earn a direct qualification, his qualification was confirmed by virtue of being among the top 12 participants across the two groups.
Manu finished third in Group A with the best throw of 81.31m, which came in his second attempt. His first attempt hit the 78.10m mark, while he recorded 80.83m in his third attempt.
Kishore Jena also books his berth in the final
Another Indian Javelin thrower Kishore Jena, who was a part of Group B, has also qualified for the final at the World Athletics Championships. His first throw of 80.55m, which was also his best throw, helped him book his berth in the final.
Jena, who earlier faced visa issues prior to his arrival in Hungary, couldn't manage to surpass his first attempt's figure as he recorded 78.07m and 77.12m in the second and third throws respectively. Pakistani athlete Arshad Nadeem also featured in Group B, who topped the list of the group with a throw of 86.79m and earned a direct qualification.
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