Javelin thrower Shivpal Singh qualifies for Tokyo Olympics

The 24-year-old is the second Indian javelin thrower to earn a place in the upcoming showpiece event.

India's Shivpal Singh qualified for the Tokyo Olympics after a remarkable performance at the ACNW League Meeting in Potchefstroom, South Africa.

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He became the second Indian javelin thrower after Neeraj Chopra to earn a spot for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Shivpal threw his javelin to a distance of 85.47 meters in his fifth attempt to reach the qualification mark on Tuesday. He failed to cross the qualification mark, which was set at 85-meters, in his first three throws.

Annu Rani also made a good start and threw 61.15 meters in her first competition of the year.

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Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju took to Twitter to congratulate Shivpal for his big achievement. He tweeted, "Good news from track and field as Shivpal Singh qualifies for Tokyo2020 in men's javelin throw after an effort of 85.47m at the ACNW League Meeting in South Africa. Qualification mark was 85m. Congratulations Shiva."

Shivpal threw his personal best of 86.23 meters at 2019 Asian Athletics Championships in Doha when he won a silver medal. He also took part in the Diamond League meeting in the Oslo leg (Norway), where he finished eighth with a throw of 80.87 meters.

However, there was disappointment for India's Arshdeep Singh who failed to join his countrymen after managing a personal best of 75.02 meters in the tournament.

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Last month, Neeraj had managed a throw of 87.86 meters in the same tournament to qualify for the Olympic games for the very first time. The Olympic Games are slated to be held from 24 July to 9 August.