- Saturday, April 20, 2024
By: ANI
TOKYO Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra on Sunday (24) clinched the silver medal in the men’s javelin throw final at the prestigious World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, the US.
Chopra recorded a distance of 88.13 metres (m) in his fourth-attempt throw and secured the second position. The Olympic medallist started the proceedings with a foul throw, which was followed by 82.39m and 86.37m. It was finally in the fourth attempt when he recorded the distance of 88.13m, which put him in contention for the silver medal.
The last two attempts by Chopra went foul throws, and thus, he ended up in the second position. The first position was held by defending champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, who recorded a distance of 90.54m.
The Indian javelin thrower also became India’s first ever track and field athlete to take the silver medal in the World Championships, and second to bag a podium finish after the legendary long jumper Anju Bobby George had finished third in the Paris Worlds in 2003.
On the other hand, World Championships debutant Rohit Yadav finished at the 10th position after making attempts of 78.72m, 78.05m and 77.95m.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi lavished praise on Chopra in a tweet saying, “A great accomplishment by one of our most distinguished athletes! Congratulations to @Neeraj_chopra1 on winning a historic Silver medal at the #WorldChampionships. This is a special moment for Indian sports. Best wishes to Neeraj for his upcoming endeavours.”
