World Athletics Championship 2023: Star Javelin Thrower Neeraj Chopra qualifies for finals with season best performance, two other Indians also qualifies

Star India javelin thrower and Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra has secured his place in the finals of the World Athletics Championship 2023. With a season-best throw of 88.77 metres, Chopra booked his berth in the finals. The finals will take place on August 27 in Hungary.

It's worth noting that Chopra also confirmed his berth in the Paris Olympics as he crossed the qualifying mark of 85.50 metres on his very first attempt. Chopra took just one attempt to make his way into the finals. Apart from him, two other Indian throwers, DP Manu and Kishore Jena, also qualified for the finals. It's the first time in history that three Indians will participate in the finals together.

Manu, who is a silver medalist in the Asian Championships, made his debut in the World Athletics Championship. In his debut event, he threw his best throw on his second attempt. He qualified with a throw of 81.31 and finished 3rd in the group and 6th overall. On the other hand, veteran javelin thrower Jena threw 80.55 metres in his very first attempt and secured his place in the finals by finishing fifth in his group. It's worth noting that they will be playing finals on Sunday this week.

Pakistani thrower Arshad Nadeem qualifies for the Paris Olympics

Apart from Neeraj Chopra, only seasoned Pakistani javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem was able to secure his place in the Paris Olympics. He threw his season-best throw of 86.79 metres to get the spot. It's worth noting that Nadeem holds the record for the best throw in South Asia. He crossed the 90-metre mark during the 2022 Commonwealth Games to clinch a gold medal for his country.

Apart from them, no one crossed the 84-metre mark, and we will be looking for the same in the finals. It's worth noting that if any other Indian thrower makes it more than 85.50 metres, then it will be a historic moment for the country. Meanwhile, at the age of 25, Chopra swiftly completed his qualifying round in a matter of minutes, achieving his best distance of the season on his initial spear throw. He secured the top position in Group A's qualification round.