Neeraj’s spear fetches gold for India

WONDERBOY The 20yearold lives up to his billing, betters national record

Farmer’s son Neeraj Chopra harvested another record-smashing gold in javelin throw as India’s track-and-field athletes delivered a clutch of medals. Neeraj’s gold and three other athletics silver medals, along with Saina Nehwal’s badminton singles bronze, propelled India’s overall medal count to 41 (8 gold, 13 silver, and 20 bronze).

Considered the biggest star in Indian athletics right now, junior world champion Neeraj delivered on the massive expectations in style, throwing the spear to a brand new personal best of 88.06m and leaving the field behind by quite a distance.

ONLY THE THIRD

Chopra’s gold is India’s only third medal in javelin throw in Asian Games history after Gurtej Singh won a bronze in 1982 in New Delhi and Parsa Singh’s silver in 1951.

The 20-year-old’s winning throw came in his third attempt. He began with 83.46m and fouled the second attempt.

Liu Qizhen of China was a distance second with a best throw of 82.22m while Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won the bronze with a 80.75 effort.

The Commonwealth Games and reigning Asian champion completely dominated the competition as he bettered his own national record of 87.43 which he had come up with in Doha during the first leg of the Diamond League series in May. None of the competitors in the field had a 85-plus throw this season.

Chopra’s biggest rival was expected to be Chao Tsun Cheng, who last year recorded a throw of 91.36m but the Chinese Taipei thrower could manage a best of 79.81 to finish fifth.

Chopra, the world junior record holder of 86.48, has been in tremendous form this season as has consistently crossed the 85m mark.

He won the Federation Cup in March with 85.94m, clinched a gold in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games with a throw of 86.47m, before the 87.43 effort in Doha.

Before coming here, he had 85.17 and 85.69 in France and Finland during his preparations for the Asian Games.

Neeraj, the son of a farmer from Panipat, has caught the nation’s imagination with his exploits.

In the end, Neeraj was only competing against himself and he made sure that he gave the best account of himself.

JAKARTA: