Neeraj Chopra, of India, poses after winning the gold medal in the Men's javelin throw final during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)Javelin Throw Final, World Athletics Championships 2023: Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra on Sunday scripted history yet again as he became the first Indian to win a gold medal in the World Athletics Championships with a big throw of 88.17m in the men’s javelin final.
In another first, three Indians finished in top eight with Kishore Jena (84.77m) and DP Manu (84.14m) taking the fifth and sixth spots respectively. Never before did three Indians finish in top eight of an event in the World Championships.
The quartet of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi and Rajesh Ramesh finished 5th in the men’s 4x400m relay race. Meanwhile, Parul Chaudhary finished 12th in the women 3000 metre steeplechase final with a national record of 9 minutes and 15.32 seconds.
(L-R) India's Neeraj Chopra, DP Manu and Kishore Jena in action during the Men's javelin throw qualification during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary
Neeraj Chopra with coach Dr Klaus Bartonietz and physio Ishaan Marwaha. (Ishaan Physio/Instagram)
Minutes after the medal ceremony, Chopra addressed a late night press conference over zoom for those back home. He was self effacing and mindful of the time zone difference apologised for keeping the media waiting . When asked if he is the greatest athlete, he took the name of world record holder Jan Zelezny. “I won’t say I am the greatest of all time. I have to improve more. The greatest of all time is Jan Zelezny when it comes to the javelin,” Chopra said.
Brilliant performance by the Indian quartet as they finished 5th in the 4x400m relay race.
And here come the Indians!!! Look at the swag! Neeraj makes history, Manu and Kishore gave decent performances on the night. And Parul set a NR. What can the relay team do?
While we were focusing on the Neeraj Chopra show, another history carves out a quiet slice of history!! Parul Chaudhary finishes the women's 3000m steeplechase event in 11th spot. But more importantly she sets the national record with a time of timing of 9:15.31. She also qualified for 2024 Paris Olympics.
That's it. Neeraj Chopra is world champion after 83.98m throw in the last attempt. It won't matter because his 88.17m throw is what it took for the Indian to wear the crown.
Another fourth place for Julian Weber... he was 4th at the Tokyo Olympics. He was 4th at the World Championships in Eugene last year.
The men's javelin moves into the sixth and final round
Meanwhile India's Parul Chaudhary finsihed 12th in the women 3000 metre steeplechase final with a national record of 9 minutes and 15.32 seconds
Arshad Nadeem fouls is fifth attempt
The positions are changing below Neeraj and Nadeem. Now Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch moves into third place with 86.67 metres
Kishore Jena moves to fourth place with 84.77 metres. As of now it is Chopra, Nadeem, Weber and Jena. Manu is sixth place
And now Neeraj registers how 4th throws. The Indian is slowing down after the event-leading throw. 88.17m with second attempt, 86.33m with third and 84.64 with fourth.
Another 87m throw from Arshad. But it's not good enough to displace Neeraj Chopra from the top of the pyramid. Arshad's third throw, 87.82m, was also a season best attempt. His 4th throw goes 87.15m.
A note on how the javelin throw final works. After all 12 throwers are through with their first three throws, the eight throwers with the best throws on the night get three more attempts. this means there are three Indians in the men's javelin throw event who will get three more attempts each. The thrower with the best throw in the first three rounds throws last and the one with the eight farthest throw goes first.
DP Manu fouls his fourth round throw. Manu is in fifth place
Jena's fourth attempt is 80.19 metres. He is currently in seventh place.
Will you look at that! THREE INDIANS MAKE THE CUT TO BE AMONG THE FINAL 8 THROWERS WHO GET THREE MORE HEAVES OF THE JAVELIN!
DP Manu comes up with 83.72 metres. His throw of 83.72m takes him up to 5th spot while compatriot Kishore Jena has slid to 7th spot. Neeraj, meanwhile, is sitting pretty on No 1.
An 87.82m throw from Arshad Nadeem!!! WOW! It's late in the contest and the Pakistani still has a lot of fuel in the tank left! He rises to second spot, which means Neeraj will spend the rest of the final looking over his back! The Pakistani is a 90 metre plus thrower. The Indian won't feel safe anymore with Nadeem showing form and Weber throwing smoothly
Days before the World Championships began in Budapest, javelin thrower Kishore Kumar Jena was anxious. His visa delayed, the rice farmer’s son from Kothasahi, Odisha, wasn’t sure if he could represent India at the showpiece. The poster boy of Indian athletics, Neeraj Chopra, played the big brother. His tweet expedited the process and Jena was on a plane for the world meet.
On Sunday, Jena is currently fifth in Sunday’s final. Tokyo Games gold winner Chopra is on top at the moment while Asian Athletics silver medalist D P Manu is 11th. (READ MORE)
Neeraj Chopra throws 86.32m with his third crank of the arm! Not bad. Nearest competitor is Julian Weber of Germany with 85.79 metres
Meanwhile, what a race from Jakob INGEBRIGTSEN in the 5000m. Possibly the race of his life. He was heartbroken in the 1500m to be pipped to the gold medal by Britain's Josh Kerr. Ingebrigtsen had also suffered defeat by Briton Jake Wightman in similar circumstances in Eugene.
But today, he's claimed a 5000m gold with a sensational surge and a season best time of 13:11.30 secs!! he leaves Mohamed Katir fro mspain chasing shadows with his run!
DP Manu commits a foul throw and the other Indian Kishore Jena throws 82.82 metres in round 2 to move to 5th place.
What a throw from Jena!! A 82.82m throw is good enough for him to rise to 5th spot in the standings. Still a lot of life left in the event. but this is promising. Can India dream, may hope, of two men on the podium today?
Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem with 82.81 in the second round moves into fourth place. Nadeem started with 74.80 metres but has upped it significantly in the second
India's Kishore Jena has just 75.70 in the opening round and DP Manu 78.44 metres. Manu in seventh place, Jena in 9th provisionally
Jakub Vadlejch takes the lead!!!! And Neeraj Chopra steals it!!!
A throw of 84.18m in his second attempt sees Jakub go on top. But right after that, the Indian leaps into the lead with a 88.17m monster throw!!
In round two world leader Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch takes the lead with 84.18 metres
Oh wow. How often do we see this!!! Neeraj Chopra is the only man to not register a mark among 12 throwers. Of course still early days in the contest. But Chopra is known to get this big throws in early on. Not today.
Kishore Jena, the final Indian in the men's javelin throw event, manages to throw starts with a 75.70m throw that puts him in 8th spot.
DP Manu is off the mark with a 78.44m. Not bad. His compatriot Kishore Jena still to come after this.
Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem starts with a 74.80m throw. Under-par by his standards. But at least he's on the board.
Here we go!! the first throws coming in!
A 83.38m attempt from Oliver HELANDER. Jakub VADLEJCH starts with an 82.59m. Dawid WEGNER can only manage a 78.19m. Clearly Helander and Vadlejch starting slow tonight. But don't count them out. they can be lethal!
Neeraj Chopra starts with a foul throw.
The World Athletics Championships usually sees multiple disciplines being held at the same time. It's a chaos-filled scene. The middle-distance runners interrupting the javelin throwers. Everyone waiting with baited breath for the 100m sprinters to do their thing! But the women's high jumpers are competing by themselves so far. Not for long. here come the men's javelin throwers!!!!
The lineups are out. Neeraj will throw 4th, Manu will throw 8th and Jena will throw in the 11th.
The action for the final day at the World Championships have begun. And it's the women's high jump event that starts us off! Neeraj Chopra and Co will be on the field soon enough! Stay tuned,
The USA are the reigning world and Olympic champions. They are the most dominant 400m nation in the world, having won eight of the past nine world titles in this event, and they could well add to that tally in Budapest, provided they don’t have any mishaps. Even if they spread some of their 400m talent pool to the mixed 4x400m, they will likely still have better depth in the men’s 4x400m than any other nation in the world.
Sometimes relays can bring out the unexpected best in people, and smaller nations challenge the athletics superpowers.
Jamaica has earned silver in this event at the past two World Championships, both times finishing just ahead of Belgium. The current standard. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, took a surprise gold at the recent Asian Championships in a national record of 3:01.56, making them the second-fastest team heading to Budapest.
Days before the World Championships began in Budapest, javelin thrower Kishore Kumar Jena was anxious. His visa delayed, the rice farmer’s son from Kothasahi, Odisha, wasn’t sure if he could represent India at the showpiece. The poster boy of Indian athletics, Neeraj Chopra, played the big brother. His tweet expedited the process and Jena was on a plane for the world meet.
On Friday afternoon at the National Athletics Centre, Jena finished among the top 12 throwers to qualify for Sunday’s final. He joined his country mates Tokyo Games gold winner Chopra and Asian Athletics silver medalist D P Manu to underline India’s growing reputation as a land of top quality javelin throwers. (READ MORE)
Kishore Jena was inspired by watching the videos of world record holder Jan Zelezny and India’s Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra.
“Zelezny’s technique and rhythm is so smooth. I watch his technique closely but replicating it in training and competition will take time,” Kishore says.
An Instagram message from Chopra after he won in Sri Lanka made his day, Kishore said.
“He congratulated me and wished me all the best for the future. It is good to be acknowledged by someone who is India’s top athlete. His consistency is amazing and he is an inspiring athlete. I have not been able to talk to him but when I get a chance I have lots of questions.” (READ MORE)
This is a big deal for the rice farmer’s son from Kothasahi village in Odisha. The youngest of seven children and the only boy, Kishore’s parents Keshab and Harapriya didn’t want to confine him to the farm. Kishore is the only national-level thrower from Kothasahi and is the first from the family to take up a sport.
“My parents encouraged me to pursue sports. Volleyball was popular. The cash prize was an added incentive. The team would split the money. It was not much but about Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 per tournament. When I told them that I had taken up javelin throw, they were fine with it as long as I was happy.” (READ MORE)
Kishore Jena thanks his stars for the coach at the state sports hostel in Bhubaneswar who told him to sign up for the javelin throw. Nearly eight years ago Jena had appeared for volleyball trials at a sports hostel. A spiker, he was a star at inter-village volleyball tournaments, but didn’t have a certificate to show for it. Fortunately, he could produce a certificate of a second-place finish in the men’s javelin. “I had represented Cuttack in a championship. My throw was 55 metres. I had a certificate. The coach said I could train for both volleyball and javelin. The javelin certificate helped me get admission in the sports hostel,” Kishore said.
Being inducted into the sports hostel was a big break. He got his first pair of spikes. His interest in volleyball faded. “I made the right choice,” Jena said after his recent success. The 27-year-old is the country’s most improved javelin thrower. In March his personal best was 78.93 metres. Last week he improved to 84.38 metres when he won gold at the Sri Lankan national championships in Diyagama. The distance was significant because it made him the fourth best on the all-time India list. Neeraj Chopra at 89.94 metres, Shivpal Singh (86.23 metres), Davinder Singh Kang (84.57m) are above Kishore. (READ MORE)
“Like a Formula One race driver who understands the power, engine speed and everything about the car, Neeraj understands the event and his body. He is not just doing what is necessary in training but also thinks about it, which is very good. Like how to make the exercises more efficient, understanding the event, understanding technique and his body. How to bring the best out of his body,” Neeraj's coach Dr Klaus Bartonietz told The Indian Express.
Chopra’s consistency of finishing in the top-3 in competitions is down to his 100 percent effort training, his mental toughness and also his modesty, the coach said. (READ MORE)
The older Chopra gets and the longer he competes different joints need attention, some more than others depending on wear and tear. The shoulder is another very important region, and more so as a javelin thrower evolves.
“On the shoulder front, we are trying to get him more mobile. As you keep throwing over the years, your internal rotation gets compromised. So we are working to maintain that and it should not be reduced because it can cause injuries in the future,” Marwaha said.
The flexibility of shoulder, hip mobility and ankle strength are some of the key physical elements for a javelin thrower. In fact, at last year’s World Championships in Eugene, where he won silver, Chopra had an issue with his ankle.
“These three things (shoulder, hip, ankle) are always in our focus. This has to be maintained. Last to last year there was some issue with the blocking ankle. There was some tendonitis and he felt pain when he blocked it. Even when he went to the World Championships, there were some issues with the ankle. He could not block it properly. But this season we were able to work on it and he is completely fine,” Marwaha said. (READ MORE)
Self-control is one of Chopra’s strengths, Ishaan Marwaha, Neeraj’s personal physio, told The Indian Express.
“This season, I don’t think he has had any sugar. When he was in India maybe he had two gulab jamuns. He hasn’t had a cold drink (aerated) in a year. I keep teasing him saying have one sip but he said no. He is off sugar. Maybe after the season when he goes to India, he will have chai with cheeni (sugar). Me and the coach have sugar but he has control over his mind and does not have it. He said ‘just a few months more’,” Marwaha said. (READ MORE)
Born in Vilnius, the Lithuanian javelin thrower also studies at Lithuanian Sports University. Earlier, he used to play baseball but switched over to the javelin. He competed at the 2017 World Championships without registering a valid mark in the qualifying round. He also won the bronze medal at the 2015 European Junior Championships. The 27-year-old has a personal best of 89.17m, which came in 2019.
Oliver HELANDER 87.32m
Jakub VADLEJCH 89.51m
Dawid WEGNER 82.21m
Neeraj CHOPRA 88.77m
Andrian MARDARE 83.04m
Ihab ABDELRAHMAN 83.71m
Arshad NADEEM 86.79m
D P MANU 84.33m
Edis MATUSEVI?IUS 84.22m
Julian WEBER 88.72m
Kishore JENA 84.38m
Timothy HERMAN 87.35m
The 400 is not a blind sprint but a very strategic race. Strategies are useless if u can’t keep up with the faster guys. So fitness of our boys was no. 1 for me. Intent no.2. Anas bhai ran a solid first leg by not allowing GB to close down stagger while making up on Spain. Amoj in 2 got the baton and took off alongside the spaniard. 2nd runner gets the privilege of breaking out of lanes and catch the inside line which Amoj beat the spaniard to making it harder for him to overtake Amoj from the outside. Very crucial. A clean change to Ajmal in 2 made sure we had the best possible spot. Ajmal bhai is the best in india fitness wise today. Anyone can run a smooth first bend and back straight but keeping a solid form into the 2nd bend and home straight separated him from the rest. A clean change alongside the American into the final leg but hats off to Rajesh. Perfect display of INTENT that separates runners from winners. Back straight going into the final bend is usually the best place to initiate an early charge. Where fatigue starts to kick in. Absolutely perfectly executed attempt. Very excited for finals! If there’s a chance it’s this year. Our guys are fit and hungry.
Over the years, investing emotions in Neeraj Chopra’s success is even more tension-free than locking one’s savings in gold. That is due to his almost-unbelievable consistency, a rare quality in Indian athletes.
Numbers don’t always define greats, but they do tell a story. Chopra’s is staggering. He isn’t satisfied with one big performance, however impressive it may be, and backs it up with another time after time.
Consider this: Chopra’s historic gold-medal winning distance of 87.58 metres at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago is not among his top 10 throws. (READ MORE)