Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra secured his first top finish of the season by triumphing the javelin throw event at the Kuortane Games in Finland, defeating reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada for the second time in 4 days.
Chopra, 24, opening throw of 86.69m came out to be the winning throw.
Chopra’s second and third efforts were fouls and he made only 3 throws. That meant Chopra had a single legal throw and he triumphed the competition with it.
His throw was not as enormous as the 89.30m effort whilst finishing second in the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, in a magnificent field however the win will for sure boost his confidence before the Stockholm Diamond League on 30th of June.
Reigning Asian and world para javelin champion Sandeep Chaudhary, who was also practicing at the Kuortane Olympic Training Centre apace with Chopra, also participated in the competition and concluded 8th with a best throw of 60.35m.
Chopra’s 89.30m attempt in Turku stands at 5th best of the season.
Chopra had made a superb return to tournament following his historic gold in the Tokyo Olympics with a stunning throw of 89.30m smashing his own national record.
Chopra’s first competitive event after just over 10 months was nothing short of exceptional as he nearly touched the crave 90m mark, which is considered the gold standard in the world of javelin throw.
Chopra’s earlier national record was 88.07m which he had marked in Patiala in March last year. He had triumphed the Tokyo Olympics gold with a throw of 87.58m on August 7, 2021.
