Tough challenge awaits Chopra in his bid for another piece of history

Paris, Aug 7 (PTI) His stunning monster throw of 89.34m in the qualification round made quite a statement but a tough challenge awaits defending champion Neeraj Chopra as he seeks another piece of history in the Paris Olympics men’s javelin throw final round here on Thursday.

Just like he did at the same stage in the Tokyo Olympics three years back, Chopra needed just a few seconds to top the qualification round with his opening throw but the similarity ends there.

This time, the quality of the field is better than Tokyo with nine throwers crossing the automatic final round qualification mark of 84m in Paris as against six in Tokyo. Out of the nine, five made it to the final round with their first throws and thus will have a lot in their tanks for the medal round.

The 26-year-old Chopra knows it too well, having been in the global circuit for more than eight years.

“In the final, everyone has a different mindset and different situation. It will be a good competition. Whoever qualifies automatically is the best in preparation,” Neeraj told journalists after his ‘lightening’ appearance on the field.

He was in a hurry to go back to the Games Village and take rest to prepare for his best for the final round, as a lot is at stake on Thursday.

Chopra will have a chance to become only the fifth man in Olympic javelin throw history to defend the title.

Eric Lemming (Sweden; 1908 and 1912), Jonni Myyra (Finland; 1920 and 1924), Jan Zelezny (Czech Republic; 1992, 1996 and 2000) and Andreas Thorkildsen (Norway; 2004 and 2008) are the only ones to have defended the men’s javelin gold medals in the Olympics.

If he wins gold, and for that matter a medal, he will become the most decorated Indian in Olympics in individual sport.

Shuttler PV Sindhu (one silver, one bronze), wrestler Sushil Kumar (one silver, one bronze) and shooter Manu Bhaker (two bronze) have won two Olympic medals each post Independence.

The tremendous effort, which was the second best of his career, also set aside concerns surrounding Chopra’s fitness after he revealed that he had been battling an adductor niggle in the build-up to the Games. His personal best continues to be 89.94m achieved back in 2022.

His 89.34m throw may also raise hopes of millions of Indian fans to see Chopra cross the elusive 90m mark on Thursday. His effort was also the second-best qualifying throw at an Olympics after the 89.39m registered by the legendary Jan Zelezny at 2000 Sydney Games.

But there were some ominous signs coming out from the qualification round which Chopra will have to be wary of.

The peaking of two-time world champion Anderson Peters (personal best 93.07m) of Grenada as well as immediate hitting of form by Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem may indicate that the final round at Stade de France could be a classic contest.

Peters, of the same age as Chopra, was beaten up and thrown off a party boat in his native country just a few days after winning a silver medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. A month before that incident, he had won the World Championships gold in Eugene, USA, after beating Chopra with a monster throw of 90.54m.

The Grenadian, who interestingly finished third when Chopra won gold in 2016 World Junior Championships in Poland, has gone past 90m four times in his career and he is one of the few who have beaten the Indian superstar. His season’s best of 88.63m in the qualification round could be a precursor to something bigger.

Nadeem, who beat Peters to win the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold with 90.18m, is unpredictable and he has pulled off big throws earlier also. After coming back from an elbow surgery, he claimed silver behind Chopra in the 2023 Budapest World Championships with a throw of 87.82m.

Nadeem has not beaten Chopra in 10 meetings since 2016 but he can spring a surprise.

Czech Republic’s experienced thrower Jakub Vadlejch could also be looking to make the records with Chopra as he had ended up with a silver in Tokyo Olympics. He had beaten Chopra for the gold in Doha Diamond League in May.

Conditions on Thursday may also be different from the qualification round. The final is expected to be cooler as it’s happening in the evening as against daytime during the qualification round.