Neeraj Chopra Picture Credit: World Athletics Championships
Neeraj Chopra wasn’t part of the medal race until his third attempt in the men's javelin final at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon. But the Olympic gold medalist turned on his afterburners to keep the hopes of millions of Indians alive. With the pressure being highest, Neeraj Chopra managed to register an 88.13m throw that directly put him in second place behind Anderson Peters.
The Tokyo Olympics champion pushed hard to beat Peters but failed as the Grenadian breached the 90m-mark, in an impressive three throws in the final. Neeraj Chopra tried for the elusive gold in his final two attempts but finished with India's first-ever silver medal at World Championships.
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After winning the Silver medal in Oregon, Neeraj Chopra hailed his competitors and then addressed how he was suffering some discomfort in his groin. “I have to congratulate Peters and Jakub,” Chopra said.
“I didn’t feel good during my first three throws. My warm-up was not good; I felt something in my groin during my throw but I think it is OK. Throwing in this wind was also a learning experience. But we have the World Championships again next year, so I will try to do better in Budapest.”
The other Indian in the final, Rohit Yadav finished at 10th with a best throw of 78.72m. Yadav ended at 11th overall in the qualification round with a best throw of 80.42m. The 21-year-old Indian had recorded a season's and personal best of 82.54m and won a silver at the National Inter-State Championships last month.