Defending champion Neeraj Chopra took a commanding first step in his quest to retain his world title, effortlessly securing his place in the men’s javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Wednesday. The Olympic gold medalist needed just one attempt to launch a throw of 84.85 meters, comfortably exceeding the automatic qualification mark of 84.50 meters.
The Indian superstar, who entered the competition with a wild card, achieved the mark at the same stadium where he clinched Olympic glory in 2021. He is now in contention to become only the third male javelin thrower in history to successfully defend a World Championships title.
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Chopra’s performance in Group A stood in contrast to recently crowned Diamond League champion Julian Weber of Germany. Weber initially fell short with a first-attempt throw of 82.29m but successfully qualified on his second attempt with a powerful 87.21m hurl.
The qualifiers featured a strong field, including 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago, Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, and Brazil’s Luiz da Silva in Group A. Group B included reigning Olympic silver medalist Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan and Grenada’s Anderson Peters. India is also represented by Sachin Yadav, Yashvir Singh, and Rohit Yadav, marking the largest contingent from any nation in the event.
While Chopra remains the defending champion, having won gold in Budapest last year with a throw of 88.17m, the path to retaining his title is expected to be highly competitive. His chief rival, Julian Weber, arrives with strong form, having won the Diamond League title last month and recorded a season-best throw of 91.51m. Chopra himself has had a mixed season; after breaking the 90m barrier with a 90.23m throw in Doha, his performances have varied, with his second-best effort of the year standing at 88.16m.
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The final field will also be closely watching Arshad Nadeem, who qualified from Group B. The Pakistani athlete has competed only once this season, winning gold at the Asian Championships in May with a throw of 86.40m before undergoing calf muscle surgery in July.
The stage is now set for a highly anticipated final where Chopra will aim to make history once again.
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