Reigning Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra qualified for the men's javelin final at the Paris Olympics with a season-best throw of 89.34 meters on Tuesday, August 6. Chopra achieved this mark on his first attempt, spending just 10 minutes on the field at the Stade de France.
Chopra’s throw, which is the second-best of his career, was only behind his personal best of 89.94 meters set at the 2022 World Championships. It also surpassed his previous season-best throw of 88.36 meters recorded at the Doha Diamond League. Notably, it was Chopra's best-ever Olympic throw, improving on his gold-medal-winning 87.58 meters from Tokyo.
In Qualification Group B, Chopra’s effort stood as a warning to the competition, especially as he competed against Julian Weber of Germany, who topped Qualification Group A with a throw of 87.76 meters.
Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, the 2023 World Championship silver medallist, also secured automatic qualification with a season-best throw of 86.59 meters. Nadeem, who is the only active Asian to have thrown over 90 meters, will be a significant contender in the final on August 8.
Indian athlete Kishore Jena was eliminated after finishing 9th in Qualification Group B with a best effort of 80.73 meters.
The men’s javelin final is shaping up to be a competitive event. Grenada’s Anderson Peters, a two-time world champion, set a season-best throw of 88.63 meters. Weber, Nadeem, and Peters are among the top contenders. Other qualifiers include Rio Olympics silver medallist Julius Yego with a season-best 85.97 meters, and Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch with 85.63 meters.