Indian superstar Neeraj Chopra will once again bear the hopes of billions when he steps onto the field at the Paris Olympics 2024 next week. The Tokyo Olympics gold medallist will be looking to become the first Indian athlete to win two individual gold medals at the Olympics.
The men’s javelin star will be in action, hoping to defend his crown against stiff competition from Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan, Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, and Julian Webber of Germany. Neeraj leads the 29-member Athletics contingent from India, which has already started competing at the Paris Olympics 2024 from Thursday.
A nagging injury has limited Neeraj Chopra’s competition appearances in the build-up to the Paris Olympics, but the javelin star is still one of the favourites to finish on the podium and perhaps clinch an unprecedented second successive gold medal.
Winning gold on August 8 would make Neeraj Chopra only the fifth man in Olympic history to defend his title and the first Indian to win two gold medals in an individual event at the Olympics. The others who have defended the men’s javelin gold medals are Eric Lemming (Sweden, 1908 and 1912), Jonni Myyra (Finland, 1920 and 1924), Jan Zelezny (Czech Republic, 1992, 1996, and 2000), and Andreas Thorkildsen (Norway, 2004 and 2008).
The Indian star has competed in just three events this year, but the 26-year-old world champion is back in full flow in a season where none of his global competitors have done exceptionally well. After finishing second in the Doha Diamond League in May with a throw of 88.36m, which is his season’s best, Neeraj Chopra withdrew from the Ostrava Golden Spike on May 28 as a precautionary measure after he felt ‘something’ in his adductor (group of muscles located on the inner thighs).
Neeraj Chopra, who has a personal best of 89.94m, made a strong comeback by winning gold at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland on June 18 with a throw of 85.97m. He later opted out of the Paris Diamond League on July 7, insisting that the event was never a part of his competition calendar this year. Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch, Germany’s Julian Weber, and former world champion Anderson Peters will once again be his main rivals.
Also read: Neeraj Chopra Survives a Brutal Fall to Win his First International Gold after Olympics
Javelin Throw Event Schedule at Paris Olympics 2024
- Qualification Group A: August 6, 1.50 PM onwards
- Qualification Group B: August 6, 3.20 PM onwards
- Final: August 8, 11.55 PM onwards
How to Watch Neeraj Chopra’s Javelin Throw Event Live in India
Neeraj Chopra’s javelin throw event at the Paris Olympics 2024 will be broadcast live on the Sports18 network in India. The event will also be available for live streaming on the Jio Cinema website and app.