Watch: Neeraj Chopra Throws Season Best 89.34m To Get Automatic Qualification For Final

Neeraj Chopra secures Olympic finals spot with season-best 89.34m throw, while Kishore Jena bows out with 80.73m.

New Delhi: Defending champion Neeraj Chopra has secured his spot in the Olympic men’s javelin throw finals with an impressive season-best throw of 89.34m on his first attempt. The 26-year-old easily surpassed the automatic qualifying mark of 84m with his opening throw.

Much like his performance in the Tokyo Olympics, the 26-year-old Neeraj Chopra crossed the automatic qualifying mark of 84m with his opening throw, securing the top spot in Group B. This impressive effort, the second best of his career, alleviated concerns about his fitness after he disclosed an adductor niggle in the lead-up to the Games. His personal best remains 89.94m, achieved in 2022.

NEERAJ CHOPRA STORMS INTO THE FINAL WITH 8⃣9⃣.3⃣4⃣ THROW. pic.twitter.com/QqQa0zhuku

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 6, 2024

The other Indian in fray, Kishore Jena, bowed out of contention to make the 12-man final on Thursday after managing a poor throw of 80.73m.

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who is the reigning Commonwealth Games champion, also qualified for the finals with a throw of 86.59m in Group B. From the same group, Grenada veteran Anderson Peters also qualified with a throw of 88.63m.

Chopra’s performance was the standout of the day, lasting just a few minutes—an embodiment of ‘he came, he threw, and he conquered.’

Earlier, Kishore Jena finished ninth in Group A with a throw of 80.73m, pushing him out of contention for a finals slot.

Athletes throwing 84m or more, or the 12 best performers from Groups A and B combined, will advance to the final on Thursday.

Julian Weber of Germany topped Group A with 87.76m, while former world champion Julius Yego (85.97m) of Kenya and Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch (85.63m) of Czechia were second and third. Finland’s Toni Keranen (85.27m) was the fourth to surpass the 84m mark.

Jena had secured an Olympic berth with his 87.54m throw for a silver medal at the Asian Games last October. Since then, he has crossed the 80m mark only once in six competitions before Tuesday.