Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 5 : Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra took the top honours in the inaugural edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic, a competition named after him at Sri Kanteerava Outdoor Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
The reigning javelin throw champion stood triumphant with 86.18m in a competition named after him. Kenya's Julius Yego notched up his season best and settled for second with 84.51m. Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage claimed the third position with a best throw of 84.34m.
While some athletes came close to challenging Neeraj's supremacy, the Indian's finesse remained unmatched by the end of the tournament. Even though it wasn't another 90m outing for the 27-year-old, he stamped his authority by conquering the challenge that he encountered and ensured that he continued to stay inside the top two since June 26, 2021.
In front of an ebullient crowd, India's Sahil Silwal, left-handed, kicked off the proceedings at Sri Kanteerava Outdoor Stadium. He let out a roar after releasing the javelin from his hand and registered a throw of 77.48m. Rohit Yadav, a World Championships finalist, recorded a distance of 77.11m.
Neeraj fouled on his first attempt and got on the board with a throw of 82.99m. He raised his hand after releasing the javelin and got the crowd going. He went to the top of the standings, bettering the 81.90m attempt from Rumesh Pathirage of Sri Lanka.
Yashvir Singh, who started the event with a foul attempt, struck a distance of 76.20m in his second try. At the same time, Sachin Yadav managed 77.30m in his second try after fouling his first.
Rumesh momentarily added a twist to the script by reclaiming the top spot with 84.34m, forcing Neeraj to slip to second. However, his attempt sparked a competitive fire in Neeraj, who responded boldly by sending his javelin to a distance of 86.18m to move to the summit after his third attempt.
The bottom four in the standings were bound to get eliminated after the first three throws. Rio Olympics champion Thomas Rohler, who struggled to get the desired distance, saw his run in the competition end with 75.85m being his best. Sahil, Rohit, and Martin Konecny fouled their third throws and crashed out of the race for the top spot.
With the last eight competitors decided, Neeraj tried to improve his best effort but didn't achieve the distance or height he yearned for. He deliberately strayed past the white line to register his second foul throw at the event.
'Mr YouTube' Julius Yego had a beaming smile on his face after his fourth try. The Kenyan athlete struck his season-best distance with a splendid 84.51m. Sachin's situation didn't improve after 82.33m. With the crowd behind Neeraj clapping in rhythm, the two-time gold medallist didn't enhance his top distance but managed 84.07m.
In the sixth round, Curtis Thompson acknowledged the crowd after his final 81.50m throw and finished sixth in the standings. Sachin, an Asian silver medallist, had a disappointing outing and settled for the fourth spot after a foul in his last throw. Yego finished second with a strong 82.45 and turned towards the stands to acknowledge the crowd.
Before Neeraj turned up for one final attempt, the top three were decided, along with his spot at the summit. With the crowd behind him, 82.22m flashed on the screen as Neeraj stood triumphant and kept his top-two streak intact on his home turf.
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