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Neeraj Chopra Qualifies for Javelin Final at Paris Olympics 2024
With the hopes of a nation resting on his shoulders, defending champion Neeraj Chopra began his title defense with a spectacular throw in the men’s javelin qualification round at the Paris Olympics 2024. On Tuesday, Chopra led Group B with a personal best throw of 89.34m in his first attempt, securing his place in the final of the men’s javelin event.
Chopra, the reigning Olympic and world champion, arrived in Paris with a season-best throw of 88.36m from the Doha Diamond League. He had previously set a national record with an impressive 89.94m throw at the Stockholm Diamond League in 2022. Since his gold medal victory at the Tokyo Olympics, Chopra has only thrown below the 85m mark twice.
Neeraj Tops Group B; Kishore Jena Bows Out
India’s Kishore Jena competed in Group A while Neeraj Chopra launched his gold medal bid from Group B on Day 11 of the Summer Games in Paris. Jena qualified for the Paris Games with an 87.54m throw at the Asian Games last year but has not managed to surpass the 87m mark since. In the qualification round, Jena finished 9th in Group A with a best throw of 80.21m.
Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch, Germany’s Julian Weber, former world champion Anderson Peters, and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem are among Neeraj’s top rivals at the Paris Olympics.
Explained: Men’s Javelin Qualification Round
The men’s javelin throw event at the Paris Olympics 2024 consists of two rounds—a qualification round and the final medal round. Thirty-two javelin throwers are competing, divided into two groups—A and B. To qualify for the final, athletes need to achieve a throw of at least 84.00m, meeting the Olympic entry standard.
Key Highlights from the Men’s Javelin Event at Paris Olympics:
- Defending champion Neeraj Chopra entered the final from Group B with his personal best throw of 89.34m.
- India’s Kishore Jena ended his qualifier with his third throw at 80.21m.
- Kenya’s Julius Yego (85.97m) became the third athlete to enter the final.
- Jena fouled his second throw.
- Jakub Vadlejch entered the javelin final with a throw of 85.63m.
- Julien Weber recorded the best throw (87.76m) from Group A in the qualification round.
- Jena breached 80m (80.73m) in his first attempt.
- Thirty-two athletes are competing in Groups A and B.
- Only 12 athletes will qualify for the men’s javelin final at the Paris Olympics.
India’s Kishore Jena faced tough competition in Group A alongside medal contenders Weber and Vadlejch. Despite a strong effort, he was unable to advance to the final, finishing 9th in his group.
