BENGALURU: Neeraj Chopra on Sunday created history as he became only the second Indian to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships, after long jumper Anju Bobby George, who picked bronze in 2003.
The 24-year-old bagged the silver medal in the men’s javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene with a best throw of 88.13m, which he pulled off in his fourth attempt.
Grenada’s Anderson Peters, the defending champion, clinched the gold medal with a monumental 90.54m throw. Peters scaled 90.21m in his first effort and then went a step further in his second attempt with 90.46m. Eventually, he registered his best throw – the one which won him the medal – in his sixth essay.
Check out the throw that won @Neeraj_chopra1 his historic Silver 🥈 at @WorldAthletics C'ships
Our Champ just nows when its a good throw 😁😇 and the Roar🔥#WCHOregon22 #IndianAthletics @PMOIndia @ianuragthakur @NisithPramanik @afiindia @SAI_Patiala @Adille1 pic.twitter.com/6Y5oSq534z
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) July 24, 2022
Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch walked away with bronze, while Germany’s Julian Weber finished 4th with a best attempt of 86.86m.
Chopra started with a foul throw and had to contend with 82.39m and 86.37m respectively in his 2nd and third efforts.
However, he soon got into the groove and lobbed an 88.13m throw in the fourth round which proved to be the second-best and eventually ensured him the silver medal. His fifth and sixth attempts also resulted in foul throws.
The other Indian in the competition, Rohit Yadav, ended at 10th place with a best throw of 78.72m. Rohit had finished 11th overall in the qualification round with a best throw of 80.42m.
Chopra won a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics last year and became only the second Indian to have won individual gold in the Olympics after shooter Abhinav Bindra.