Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra battled tough conditions in Chorzów in Poland and finished second at at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial meet on Friday, May 23.
On a chilly day in Chorzów, Neeraj could manage only three valid throws out of six attempts in the competition and his best throw only measured 84.14m. The last time Neeraj’s best throw in a competition measured below 84m mark was in 2023 when he attained a distance of 83.80m in Prefontaine Classic in Hayward, Eugene, USA. The throw that had helped him win gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 measured 87.58m.
Just last week, the two-time Olympic medalist had managed to breach the 90m mark for the first time in his career when he attained a distance of 91.06m at the Doha Diamond League. Germany’s Julian Weber, who was first in Doha, emerged victorious in Chorzów too. The reigning European champion took the top spot in Chorzów with a best throw of 86.12m in the second round. Weber was the only athlete to produce throws beyond 85m.
Two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada secured third place with a throw of 83.24m — the same position he held in Doha.
By finishing second in the competition, Neeraj has extended his streak of top-two finishes to 22 in all the competitions he has participated in.
Also Read: Neeraj Chopra Breaches 90m Mark For The First Time In His Career
Neeraj, the reigning World Champion, started the competition with a foul and followed that by attaining a distance of 81.28m. After two more fouls in rounds three and four, he managed 81.40m in the fifth before finishing strong with 84.14m in the final round.
The Janusz Kusocinski Memorial was Neeraj’s third competition this year. The Paris Olympic silver medalist began his season by competingt the Potch Invitational in South Africa on April 16 where he achieved the top spot with a throw of 84.52m.
The Janusz Kusocinski Memorial, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver event, is the oldest continually held track and field meet in Poland and one of the most historic in Europe. It was first held in 1954 in memory of Olympic gold medallist Janusz Kusocinski.
Neeraj was expected to be in India at this time as he was supposed to participate at the inaugural NC Classic (Neeraj Chopara Classic) at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on May 24. The event was forced to be postponed due to heightened military tensions between India and Pakistan during April and May.
Neeraj will next compete at the Golden Spike meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic on June 24. The next Diamond League event featuring men’s javelin is slated for June 20 in Paris. Later in the year, Neeraj will be defending his World Championship title at the World Athletics Championship to be hosted by Tokyo.
Prakhar Sachdeo
The Sportz Planet Desk
