Neeraj Chopra becomes India's first World Champion, Kishore Jena and DP Manu finish in top 6
Late on Sunday, India's javelin star Neeraj Chopra became the first from the country to win a World Championships gold in any track & field event. The reigning Olympic and Diamond League Final champion completed his closet with a World Championships gold now in Budapest.
He threw a staggering 88.17m in the second attempt to win the top prize. At the end of the competition, his six throws read - foul, 88.17m, 86.32m, 84.64m, 87.73m and 83.98m. Meanwhile, Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem took home the silver medal with a throw of 87.82m, followed by Yakaub Vadlejch with a best throw of 86.67m.ย
Neeraj's gold has come a year after he won the silver medal in the last edition. The other two Indians in the fray, Kishore Jena and DP Manu finished fifth and sixth, respectively, with throws of 84.77m and 84.14m. This effort by the javelin throwers makes it the first time that three Indians have finished in the top 6 of any event.
Interestingly, this is India's only third medal at the IAAF World Championships, with the first one coming way back in 2003, a bronze by Anju Bobby George in the women's long jump.
88.17 Meters for ๐ฅ
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