Turku: Tokyo Olympics javelin throw gold medalist Neeraj Chopra has won the gold medal in javelin at the Paavo Nurmi Games held in Turku, Finland. He took first place with a throw of 85.97.
Apart from Neeraj, Finland’s Toni Keranen won the silver medal by finishing second with a throw of 84.19 meters and Olivier Helander won the bronze medal with his best throw of 83.96 meters. In this competition, Neeraj lagged behind in the second throw. But after that he not only made a good comeback, but also made his best throw.
Neeraj’s winning gold is also important for India because the Paris Olympic Games are from 26 July to 11 August. Neeraj suffered a muscle strain during practice last month. Due to this, he did not participate in the Ostrava Golden Spike tournament held in the Czech Republic on 28 May. Neeraj gave this information on social media.
Neeraj Chopra had written, “I have had this problem before. If I push myself at this stage, it can turn into an injury. I am making it clear that I am not injured, but I do not want to take any risk before the Olympics.
As soon as I am fully recovered, I will return to the championship. Thank you for your support.” Neeraj Chopra came first to throw and he threw 83.62 meters in the first attempt. However, it was not a bad start for him. He was ahead of Anderson Peters, who threw 82.58 meters in the first attempt.
In the second attempt, Neeraj threw 83.45 meters which was not better than his initial attempt. After the second attempt, Neeraj fell behind and Olivier Helander took the lead. Olivier threw 83.96 meters in the second attempt. This pushed Neeraj to second place.