Men’s javelin: Neeraj Chopra qualifies for finals with monster first throw of 89.34m at Paris Olympics

Paris Olympics 2024: Neeraj Chopra qualifies for men's javelin throw final at Olympics with season's best, alongside Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem.

Defending champion Neeraj Chopra turned on the style as he stormed into the men’s javelin throw final of the Olympic Games with a season’s best effort of 89.34m in his very first attempt in the qualification round in Paris on August 6.

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Much like his performance in the Tokyo Olympics, the 26-year-old crossed the automatic qualifying mark of 84m in his opening throw to occupy the top spot in Group B.

The tremendous effort, which is the second best of his career, also set aside concerns surrounding Chopra’s fitness after he revealed that he had been battling an adductor niggle in the build-up to the Games. His personal best continues to be 89.94m achieved back in 2022.

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 too made the cut with a throw of 88.63m.