[Watch] Neeraj Chopra Storms Into Final With Monster 1st Throw, Kishore Jena Slips To 15th Spot

Bhubaneswar: India’s ‘Golden Boy’ Neeraj Chopra entered the final of men’s javelin throw event at Paris Olympics 2024 with his maiden throw at Stade de France on Tuesday.

Neeraj, who is playing his second Olympics, came up with his season-best throw and covered the 89.34m mark. An athlete has to touch the 84m mark to earn a direct entry into the final.

He was later joined by Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who crossed the qualification standard distance in his first attempt with a throw of 86.59m. Grenadian javelin thrower Peters Anderson has also qualified from Group B with 88.63m mark.

Neeraj is on a quest to become the first Indian to win two gold medals in an individual Olympic event and just the fifth man in Olympic history to defend his javelin gold.

Kishore Kumar Jena, who competed in Group A, is officially out of contention for the final having slipped to the 15th spot. The Indian javelin thrower from Odisha announced himself in Paris with a throw of 80.73 in the first attempt. He was unable to register a valid attempt in the second attempt and marked only 80.21m in the third.

Also Read: Paris Olympics: Prayers In Odisha Village As Kishore Jena Breaches 80m In 1st Attempt [Watch]

To make to the final at Paris 2024, he had to rank among at least the 12 best athletes in the overall qualification standings (including Group A and Group B).

Julien Weber (87.76), Jakub Vadlejch (85.63), Julius Yego (85.07) and Toni Keranen (85.27) have already made it to the final of the men’s event from Group A.