Did Neeraj Chopra Qualify for Men's Javelin Final with a First-Attempt Throw of 84.85m?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Neeraj Chopra qualified for the finals with a throw of 84.85m.
- This marks his fifth time qualifying with just one throw.
- Chopra is defending his title from 2023.
- He previously set a national record of 90.23m this season.
- Chopra aims for his third World Championships medal.
Tokyo, Sep 17 (NationPress) Two-time Olympic medallist and reigning champion Neeraj Chopra has successfully secured his spot in the final of the men's Javelin throw event at the World Athletics Championships. He accomplished the necessary qualifying distance with his very first throw in the qualifying round.
The required mark was set at 84.50m, and on his return to the venue where he made history by clinching the Olympic gold medal, Neeraj launched the javelin to a remarkable distance of 84.85m in his initial attempt during Group A qualification to advance to the final.
This achievement marks the fifth consecutive occasion that Chopra has needed only one throw to qualify for the final. The previous instances were during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, and the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
Following Chopra, Germany's Julian Weber surpassed the automatic qualification mark with a throw of 87.21m on his second attempt, bouncing back from an initial throw of 82.29m.
Another Indian athlete in Group A, Sachin Yadav, started with a throw of 80.16m and concluded the qualification round with a top throw of 83.67m across his three attempts, remaining optimistic about his chances to qualify for the final.
Chopra, who earned a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, will defend the World title he claimed in Budapest in 2023 this Thursday. The 27-year-old from Haryana made history in Budapest, becoming India’s first-ever world champion in athletics with a throw of 88.17m. At that event, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem took home the silver with an effort of 87.82m.
The rivalry intensified in Paris last year when Nadeem dethroned Chopra as Olympic champion with a massive throw of 92.97m, while the Indian secured silver with a best effort of 89.45m.
Chopra is now aiming for his third medal at the World Championships, having previously won a silver in Eugene, USA, three years ago.
This season, the legendary Indian athlete crossed the 90m mark for the first time, setting a national record with a throw of 90.23m in the Diamond League event in Doha, Qatar. Currently, that throw ranks him third on the world best list, trailing behind Germany’s Julian Weber and Brazil’s Luiz da Silva.