CWG 2018 | Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra secures Gold with season best throw in Gold Coast

The Indian youngsters that have traveled to Gold Coast seemed to have only one thing in their minds this year, and that is breaking records. The latest to do so amongst a long line of Indian names was Indian track and field athlete - Neeraj Chopra. At a tender age of 20, Chopra made his way to the podium at the 2018 Gold Coast CWG which made him the first Indian to win a medal in Javelin Throw at the Games.

Chopra won Gold last year at the Asian Athletic Championships 2017, with a throw of 82.23 m. He went up against the very best in the game in Gold Coast in a bid to win India’s first medal in the event. After a strong start to the event, which saw Chopra rise to a Gold medal spot after a throw of 85.50 m, he faltered in his second attempt before he could hit a mark of 84.78 in his third attempt. However, his best was yet to come as he managed to better his own score with a winning effort of 86.47 meters in his fourth attempt to secure Gold.

The other Indian competing in the event, Vipin Kashana, finished fifth with a best of 77.87. The young Chopra, who is coached by Garry Calvert, had qualified for the CWG after hurling a spear to a distance of 85.94m in his sixth attempt at the Federations Cup senior national athletics Championships in Patiala. His coach has termed him a “once-in-a-generation-talent".