New Delhi. Indian athletics’ brightest star, Neeraj Chopra, is once again set to create history with his javelin. Neeraj, who brought glory to the country by winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2021, is now considered a strong contender for the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics as well. 26-year-old Neeraj Chopra will enter the qualification round on Tuesday and the final match will be played on August 8. If Neeraj wins the gold medal this time too, he will become the fifth player to retain the javelin throw title in Olympic history. Also, he will become the first Indian to win two gold medals in the individual category.
Legends who retained the title at the Olympics
Only four players have ever retained the Olympic men’s javelin throw title:
1. Eric Lemming (Sweden, 1908 and 1912)
2. Jonni Myra (Finland, 1920 and 1924)
3. Jan Zelenji (Czech Republic, 1992 and 1996)
4. Andreas Thorkildsen (Norway, 2004 and 2008)
Neeraj’s idol Jan Zelenji had also achieved this feat, and now Neeraj too is dreaming of joining this category.
This year’s performance and challenges
This year Neeraj has participated in only three events, but his competitors have also not been able to perform anything special. In the Doha Diamond League in May, Neeraj threw 88.36 meters. However, due to discomfort in the adductor, he did not participate in the Ostrava Golden Spike on May 28 as a precaution. In June, at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland, Neeraj won the gold medal by throwing 85.97 meters. After this, he did not participate in the Paris Diamond League on July 7. His coach said that Neeraj is now completely fit and there is no problem in the adductor.
Tokyo Olympics silver medalist, Czech Republic’s Jakub Valesh, Germany’s Julian Weber, and former world champion Grenada’s Anderson Peters will give Neeraj a tough challenge. Apart from this, India’s teenager Jena is also in the race, who qualified for the Asian Games last year by throwing 87.54 meters. However, since then he has not been able to reach even 80 meters. Neeraj’s fitness and his brilliant performance have raised the hopes of Indian sports lovers. Now it remains to be seen whether Neeraj is able to create history once again and win another gold medal in his name. The eyes of Indian sports lovers are now fixed on the final match of 8 August.
