Defending champion Neeraj Chopra advanced to the men’s javelin throw final at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a remarkable 89.34m throw, the seventh-biggest in the history of the Games, on Tuesday. The 26-year-old Indian athlete surpassed the direct qualification mark of 84m on his first attempt, achieving the second-best throw of his career and his season’s best.
Neeraj Chopra, still aiming for a 90m throw, remains motivated to improve. “I always go out to do my best because I know I have not reached my peak. I am not yet as good as I would like to be technically or in distance, so I want to improve and throw further,” he said.
Following Neeraj Chopra, the top performers were Grenada’s two-time world champion Anderson Peters (88.63m), Germany’s European Games winner Julian Weber (87.76m), and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem (86.59m). World No. 1 Jakub Vadlejch threw 85.63m for seventh place. All these top throws came from the first attempts.
“When others do well, it is a good motivation that tells me you also have to throw far. I always throw far in qualification,” said Neeraj Chopra, who also qualified for the Tokyo 2020 javelin throw final with his opening throw.
“I feel really good, but every athlete looks to be in good shape. Anderson Peters, Jakub Vadlejch, Julian Weber… it will be a great final,” Neeraj Chopra remarked.
The javelin throw final is scheduled for Thursday at the Stade de France, where Neeraj Chopra will face stiff competition in his Olympic title defense. “I always try to keep myself calm. During the competition, I focus on my technique and my performance,” he said.
Neeraj Chopra aims to become the fifth athlete in Olympic history to defend his men’s javelin throw title.
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