Neeraj Chopra and India’s Javelin Stars: All eyes are on Neeraj Chopra as he aims to defend his Olympic title in men’s javelin throw at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics. Since his historic gold medal at Tokyo 2020, Chopra has continued to make headlines with his remarkable achievements in the sport. He won the Diamond League trophy in 2022, became the world champion in 2023, and defended his Asian Games crown in Hangzhou.
Chopra secured his spot at Paris 2024 by achieving the entry standard in the qualifying round of the Budapest World Championships, before creating history by becoming the first Indian athletics world champion. His focus is now on preparing for the upcoming Olympics, with a challenging schedule ahead.
Neeraj Chopra is set to start his Olympic year campaign at the Doha Diamond League on May 10, with additional events planned in preparation for Paris 2024. He will compete at the Paavo Nurmi Games, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold-level event in Finland, and in the Paris leg of the Diamond League in July, allowing him to test his skills against top-class competition and acclimatize to the conditions before the Olympics.
The men’s javelin throw field at Paris 2024 will be highly competitive, featuring top athletes like Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of Czechia, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, former world champion Anderson Peters, and Germany’s Max Dehning. Chopra’s personal best of 89.94m, the current Indian national record, places him among the elite throwers. However, he will also be striving to break the 90m barrier to gain a psychological edge over his rivals.
Chopra will be joined by fellow Indian javelin throwers Kishore Jena and Manu DP. Jena, who won silver at the Hangzhou Asian Games, has demonstrated significant improvement, breaching the Paris 2024 qualifying mark with a personal best of 87.54m. Manu DP, with a personal best of 84.35m, is yet to qualify for Paris 2024 but holds a strong position in the Road to Paris world rankings.
In the women’s javelin event, India’s Annu Rani is also expected to represent India at Paris 2024. Rani, who holds the Indian national record of 63.82m, is looking to improve her performance after a challenging period. She won gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games and is currently training in Germany under foreign athletics coach Werner Daniels to prepare for the Olympics.
With a formidable lineup of athletes, India’s javelin throwers are poised for an exciting campaign at Paris 2024. The journey to the Olympics will require careful pacing and preparation to ensure these athletes are in peak form for the ultimate test on the world’s biggest stage.
