Neeraj Chopra marks homecoming with javelin gold but 90 m jinx continues
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra clinched the gold medal in the javelin throw with a modest 82.27m effort at the Federation Cup athletics meet in Bhubaneswar.
Neeraj Chopra will be competing on home soil after almost three years as the reigning Olympic and World Champion’s name features in the roster for the 27th National Federation Cup athletics championships in Odisha, slated from May 12 to May 15 at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar.
This will be Chopra’s first domestic competition since the 2021 Federation Cup in Patiala, where he came up with a best effort of 87.80m.
“As per entries Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Kumar Jena will compete in domestic competition starting May 12 in Bhubaneshwar,” the Athletics Federation of India posted on social media.
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In Bhubaneswar, the men’s javelin throw competition will run on May 14 and 15.
But before the Federation Cup, the two-time Asian Games gold medallist will be in action at the Doha Diamond League on May 10 along with compatriot Kishore Jena, who will also take part in the tournament in Odisha.
On his return to action on home soil, Neeraj, who has a personal best of 89.94m and has been eyeing to breach the magic 90m mark, will be up against the likes of DP Manu and Shivpal Singh in Bhubaneswar. The 26-year-old Neeraj had spoken about his goals for the season previously.
“I want to be in the best possible shape before the Paris Olympics. My training sessions have gone off really well so far. I always put stress on fitness along with strength and technique. This is the best I have felt in a long time but I must add that training and competition are not the same. When you wear the India jersey, the feeling is different, the josh (energy) is unbelievable,” Neeraj had told SAI media.
After the Federation Cup, Neeraj is scheduled to compete in the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, on June 18, and post that he is expected to resume training in Europe in the build-up to his title defence in Paris.
So far, Neeraj and Kishore, who finished 1-2 in the Hangzhou Asian Games last year throwing 88.88m and 87.54m respectively, are the two Indian javelin throwers who have qualified for Paris 2024.
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