NEW DELHI: In anticipation of yet another gold medal, Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra, a man of many firsts, will be aiming to make history with his javelin when he competes in his second Olympics.
After battling a bothersome adductor niggle for the whole season, his legendary consistency would be put to the test. The qualification stage would kick off his journey on Tuesday, and the Haryana lad is anticipated to go to the finals on August 8, as per PTI.
Chopra can become the first Indian to win two gold medals in an individual event in the multi-sport spectacle and just the fifth man in Olympic history to defend his championship with a top podium finish.
The athletes to have successfully defended their gold medals in the men’s javelin at the Olympics are: Eric Lemming (Sweden; 1908 and 1912), Jonni Myyra (Finland; 1920 and 1924), Jan Zelezny (Czech Republic; 1992, 1996, and 2000), and Andreas Thorkildsen (Norway; 2004 and 2008).
Despite participating in only three events this year, the 26-year-old world champion is back to his best this season, as none of his international rivals have performed very well.
With a throw of 88.36 meters, his season’s best, Chopra finished second in the Doha Diamond League in May. However, on May 28, he withdrew from Ostrava Golden Spike as a precautionary measure after feeling “something” in his adductor (a set of muscles placed on inner thighs).
With a throw of 85.97 meters, Chopra, who has a personal best of 89.94 meters, made a great comeback on June 18 at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland.
Later, on July 7, he chose not to participate in the Paris Diamond League, stating that he had not included the competition in his schedule this year.
Later, his coach allayed worries over Chopra’s fitness, telling PTI that his ward has been in a high-intensity training phase and that his adductor is well right now.
Chopra, one of the most reliable javelin throwers of late, has only twice, in 15 events since taking home the gold at the Tokyo Olympics, thrown the spear below the 85-meter mark.
The Indian superstar’s major challengers will once again be Germany’s Julian Weber, former world champion Anderson Peters, and Czech thrower Jakub Vadlejch, who won silver in the Tokyo Olympics and defeated Chopra in the Doha Diamond League.
Kishore Jena, another Indian competing in the men’s javelin, secured a spot automatically with a throw of 87.54 meters at the Asian Games the previous year, has since found it difficult to surpass the 80-meter threshold.
Chopra is anticipated to provide the Indian athletes some much-needed optimism since they have yet to record a noteworthy performance in the current edition of the event.
After battling a bothersome adductor niggle for the whole season, his legendary consistency would be put to the test. The qualification stage would kick off his journey on Tuesday, and the Haryana lad is anticipated to go to the finals on August 8, as per PTI.
Chopra can become the first Indian to win two gold medals in an individual event in the multi-sport spectacle and just the fifth man in Olympic history to defend his championship with a top podium finish.
The athletes to have successfully defended their gold medals in the men’s javelin at the Olympics are: Eric Lemming (Sweden; 1908 and 1912), Jonni Myyra (Finland; 1920 and 1924), Jan Zelezny (Czech Republic; 1992, 1996, and 2000), and Andreas Thorkildsen (Norway; 2004 and 2008).
Despite participating in only three events this year, the 26-year-old world champion is back to his best this season, as none of his international rivals have performed very well.
With a throw of 88.36 meters, his season’s best, Chopra finished second in the Doha Diamond League in May. However, on May 28, he withdrew from Ostrava Golden Spike as a precautionary measure after feeling “something” in his adductor (a set of muscles placed on inner thighs).
With a throw of 85.97 meters, Chopra, who has a personal best of 89.94 meters, made a great comeback on June 18 at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland.
Later, on July 7, he chose not to participate in the Paris Diamond League, stating that he had not included the competition in his schedule this year.
Later, his coach allayed worries over Chopra’s fitness, telling PTI that his ward has been in a high-intensity training phase and that his adductor is well right now.
Chopra, one of the most reliable javelin throwers of late, has only twice, in 15 events since taking home the gold at the Tokyo Olympics, thrown the spear below the 85-meter mark.
The Indian superstar’s major challengers will once again be Germany’s Julian Weber, former world champion Anderson Peters, and Czech thrower Jakub Vadlejch, who won silver in the Tokyo Olympics and defeated Chopra in the Doha Diamond League.
Kishore Jena, another Indian competing in the men’s javelin, secured a spot automatically with a throw of 87.54 meters at the Asian Games the previous year, has since found it difficult to surpass the 80-meter threshold.
Chopra is anticipated to provide the Indian athletes some much-needed optimism since they have yet to record a noteworthy performance in the current edition of the event.
