CWG gold medalist Chopra breaks personal record in javelin
India's 22-year-old javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra shattered his own national record at the IAAF Diamond League, being held in Doha. He cleared a distance of 87.43m to finish fourth in the season opening League series. Chopra had recently won the gold medal in XXI Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast with a throw of 86.47m. Here is what happened.
The 22-year-old youngster came against the likes of javelin biggies Thomas Rohler, world champion Johannes Vetter and Andreas Hofmann. With the three champions all notching 90m+ consistently, Chopra stood tall and gave his best. He impressed on the day amongst a strong pool of athletes. His 87.43m throw helped him break his previous best mark of 86.48m.
The youngster began with a throw of 81.17m, before notching 87.43m. He then fouled his next three attempts, before ending with a 81.06m in his sixth and final throw. Rohler won the gold medal with a top throw of 91.78m. Vetter and Hoffman finished second and third respectively. The moment of the day came when Chopra beat 2017 World Championship silver medalist Jakub Vadlejch.
The promising Chopra will next take part in the Eugene (United States) leg of the IAAF Diamond League series on May 26. Interestingly, there too he will be up against the likes of Rohler, Vetter, Hoffman and Vadlejch.
