Neeraj Chopra breaks his own national record
At the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland, India’s Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra set a new national mark and took silver with a throw of 89.30 meters, breaking his own previous national record of 88.07 metres achieved in Patiala in March last year. Chopra’s first appearance in an international tournament was on August 7, 2021, when he won the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics with a throw of 87.58 metres.
He finished second on the podium at the Paavo Nurmi Games with an 89.30 metres throw, behind Finnish favorite Oliver Helander, who set a personal best of 89.93 metres. Anderson Peters, the world champion from Grenada, came in third with a throw of 86.60 metres.
Chopra’s first competitive event after ten months was historic, as the athlete came close to breaking the 90-meter barrier, which is regarded the gold standard in the world of javelin throw.
Chopra’s next throw was a massive 89.30 metres after an opening toss of 86.92 metres. His following three tries were all fouls, but his sixth and last attempts yielded two throws of 85.85 metres.
Chopra, meantime, has moved up to sixth place in the world season leaders’ list with an 89.30 metre Javelin throw. Outside of the Diamond League, the Paavo Nurmi Games, a gold event on the World Athletics Continental Tour, is one of the most important track-and-field championships.
Neeraj Chopra will compete at the Kuortane Games in Finland after making history at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland, before heading to Sweden for the Stockholm leg of the Diamond League.