India’s champion player Neeraj Chopra scripted history yet again as he won the country’s first gold medal at the World Athletics Championships on Sunday. Chopra who sealed India’s first Olympic gold in athletics two years ago in Tokyo, ended on top in the men’s javelin throw final on Sunday with a throw of 88.17 metres in his second attempt and finished India’s long wait for a first gold medal in the world championships since the tournament started in 1983.
Arshad Nadeem, of Pakistan ended second with a best throw of 87.82 metres while Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch won bronze with a throw of 86.67m. Another Indian athlete Kishore Jena concluded in the top five after a personal best throw of 84.77 metres while DP Manu was sixth with a best effort of 84.14m. This is the first time that three Indian athletes ended in the top eight in an event at the World Championships.
Neeraj’s first throw in the final went wrong as he started with a foul but then he made a solid comeback in his second attempt, throwing the spear for a huge 88.17m which was enough to put him in the pole position. The 25-year-old followed up with a throw of 86.32 in his third attempt.
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Chopra who became the first Indian to win a gold medal in the track and field in Tokyo sealed a silver medal in the 2022 edition of World Championships in Eugene, USA. It was legendary long jumper Anju Bobby George who won a bronze in the 2003 World Championships before Chopra.