Neeraj nails final spot first
Javelin star comes up with top throw on debut
Tokyo, Aug. 4: Medal contender Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian javelin thrower to enter the finals of the Olympic Games with a stunning throw of 86.65m in his opening attempt that put him on top of the qualification round here on Wednesday.
He kept India’s hopes of an elusive Olympic medal from athletics alive by earning a direct entry into the finals to be held on Saturday as he sent the spear well past the qualifying mark of 83.50m in his first attempt.
However, Shivpal Singh, failed to make the final cut with a below-par best throw of 76.40m to finish a lowly 12th in the Group ‘B’ qualification which featured 16 athletes.
Competing in his first Olympics, Chopra took just a few seconds to make the final round. He topped the Group ‘A’ contest as well as the two qualifications rounds.
A farmer’s son from
Khandra village near Panipat in Haryana who took up athletics to shed flab, Chopra left the javelin arena after his first throw.
Chopra is, however, under no illusion that the final will be a totally different contest where the world’s best will go for podium finish.
Chopra’s performance on Saturday will go down as one of the best by an Indian in the Olympics, as he finished ahead of gold medal favourite and 2017 world champion Johannes Vetter of Germany.
Vetter, who had earlier said that Chopra will find it tough to beat him in the Olympics, struggled in his first two throws before crossing the automatic qualification mark with a 85.64m final throw. The 28year-old towering German was lying at a dangerous seventh position after his first two throws but eventually qualified for the final at second overall behind Chopra. —