Neeraj Chopra eyes India’s first ever gold at World Athletics Championships 2022

07/21/2022

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Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra's competition will get underway on Friday. All the competitors will be divided into two groups and both will have a combined 32 javelin throwers; the top 12 from there will advance to Saturday's final event, which could see Chopra make history.

Chopra, who just began his season last month, has already smashed the national record thrice this year in three events. He broke the national record he had previously established at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland, in his season opener by throwing a personal best of 89.94 meters in the Stockholm Diamond League.

The current world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada will present the Indian javelin superstar with a tough fight at Oregon 2022, though. Peters has three times broken the 90-point barrier and beat Chopra to the gold in Stockholm earlier this month. The men to defeat in Oregon 22 will be Peters, Keshorn Walcott, Julian Weber, Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, the silver medalist from Tokyo 2020.

At the Paavo Nurmi Games last month, Oliver Helander shocked both Neeraj Chopra and Anderson Peters to claim the top podium spot. Chopra will be participating in the senior World Athletics Championships for the second time. He would become just the second Indian athlete to secure a podium finish at the championship after Anju Bobby George earned a bronze in the women's long jump in Paris in 2003, if he wins a medal here.

India's Rohit Yadav is also set to participate in the javelin throw competition.