Data | How good is Neeraj Chopra among his competitors at the Tokyo Olympics?
The Hindu
He became the first ever Indian to top the qualification round in track and field events at the Olympic Games
All eyes will be on when he takes the stage for the men's javelin throw final at the Tokyo Olympics on . On August 4, he became the first Indian javelin thrower in history to qualify for the final at the Olympic Games. Only three of his fellow competitors in the event have thrown the javelin farther than he has in 2021. Two of them were eliminated in the qualification round. He recorded his personal best (PB) throw of 88.07m this year in March, a new national record. The numbers show that he has improved his performance almost every year since 2013. His biggest challenge is Germany's Johannes Vetter, who has crossed the 90m mark on seven occasions, including many of his recent performances.Unlike most of the Olympic-bound athletes, who opt to train abroad before the big event, boxer Amit Panghal prefers training in home conditions prior to Paris 2024. A former World championships silver medallist and a World No. 1, Panghal won the 51kg quota place in the only chance he got. He wants to follow his own plans to script success in Paris.
The other men’s semifinal Friday is Norway’s Casper Ruud, twice the runner-up in Paris — to Rafael Nadal in 2022 and to Novak Djokovic in 2023 — against Germany’s Alexander Zverev, a finalist at the 2020 U.S. Open, an Olympic gold medalist and into the final four at Roland Garros for the fourth consecutive year.