Neeraj Chopra, one of India’s brightest medal hopes at the Paris 2024 Olympics, is set to defend his gold medal from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Chopra enters the competition with a season-best throw of 88.36m (his personal best is 89.94m), currently ranking him second in the world. His Olympic journey begins with the qualification round on August 6th, followed by the finals on August 8th. The javelin throw event is anticipated to be fiercely competitive, with several contenders vying for the podium.
One of Chopra’s main rivals is Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan, who has consistently challenged Chopra in past tournaments like the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. Nadeem finished fifth in Tokyo and, while currently unranked, possesses a personal best of 90.18m and a season best of 84.21m.
Jakub Vadlejch of Czechia, the silver medalist in Tokyo, is another formidable opponent. He currently holds the top spot in the world rankings, with a personal best of 90.88m and a season best of 88.65m.
Julian Weber of Germany, ranked third in the world, secured fourth place in Tokyo. He boasts a personal best of 89.54m and a season best of 88.37m.
Anderson Peters of Grenada, ranked sixth in the world, is another contender. He has a remarkable personal best of 93.07m, with a season best of 86.62m.
Emerging as a potential medal contender is Max Dehning of Germany, currently ranked 22nd in the world. He has impressed with his season and personal best of 90.20m, achieved at the German Winter Throwing Championships this year.
India’s other representative, Kishore Jena, is a strong contender as well. The Asian Games silver medalist holds a personal best of 87.54m and a season best of 80.84m, currently ranking him seventh in the world.
With such a competitive field, Neeraj Chopra’s quest to defend his Olympic title promises to be thrilling and challenging.
