WATCH | Olympic Champion Neeraj Chopra's Rough Fall During Kuortane Games In Finland
The Indian champion was seen wincing in pain right after the fall and didn't take any more attempts after that, however, his first attempt was enough to bag the gold.
New Delhi: Neeraj Chopra suffered a bad fall during the Kuortane Games as the ground had become slippery due to the rain. Though he managed to bag the gold medal after he registered a throw of 86.69m in his first attempt. The weather conditions in Finland were less than ideal due to the rain, making it difficult for all athletes during the game.
Chopra defeated his rivals - 2012 Olympic champ Keshorn Walcott and 2019 world champion Anderson Peters. The Indian champion was seen wincing in pain right after the fall and didn't take any more attempts after that.
The 24-year-old Chopra set the pace of the competition early, taking the lead after the first round of throws with an 86.69m attempt -- 0.05m more than Walcott. He failed to log legitimate attempts with his next two throws and suffered a nasty fall during his third attempt.
After an intentional foul on his second, he slips on his third.. Testing conditions out there…#NeerajChopra pic.twitter.com/71qRFcEEyJ
— Naveen Peter (@peterspeaking) June 18, 2022
ALSO READ: Neeraj Chopra Wins Gold At Kuortane Games In Finland, Second After Tokyo Olympics
However, the Athletics Federation of India clarified that Neeraj Chopra was alright after the fall and there was nothing to worry about. "News from Kuortane: All well with @Neeraj_Chopra1 after that bad slip on his third attempt. Nothing to worry about," the official handle of AFI tweeted.
News from Kuortane: All well with @Neeraj_chopra1 after that bad slip on his third attempt. Nothing to worry 👍
— Athletics Federation of India (@afiindia) June 18, 2022
Well done #NeerajChopra, congrats for one more top class performance 👏 #Indianathletics pic.twitter.com/EaMHJAGi6v
Earlier this week, in his first competitive event since winning a historic gold in Tokyo, Chopra set a new national record of 89.30m while taking part at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland.
Chopra is scheduled to travel to Sweden next for the Stockholm leg of the Diamond League before next month's engagements at the World Athletics Championships in the US and the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham.