A look at Neeraj Chopra's qualification for Paris Olympics 2024

Neeraj Chopra would be looking to successfully defend his Olympic title at Paris Olympics 2024.

India’s ‘Golden Boy’ Neeraj Chopra will be making his way to the Paris Olympics 2024, aiming to go where no Indian has: Have two Olympic gold medals shining in his cabinet.

A stunning throw of 88.77m at the qualifiers of the World Athletics Championship 2023 in Budapest, was enough to assure him a spot, in what will be a competitive field in Paris.

The 26-year-old athlete from Haryana, who has the rank of Subedar in the Rajputana Rifles, will not be the only Indian in the men’s javelin throw event- he will be accompanied by Kishore Kumar Jena, at the Paris Olympics.

Subject to the ‘Road to Paris’ chart, they could be accompanied by a third Indian in the form of D.P. Manu. It’s worth noting that there has never been an instance of two Indians qualifying for the final of a track and field event at the Olympics- the 2024 edition could see a change in that.

Neeraj Chopra had taken a precautionary break recently. In a statement on social media, he had said that he “felt something” in his adductor after a throwing session and didn’t want to take any risk during the Olympic year.

As has been the case previously, Chopra returned to action with a bang! He won the gold medal at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland with a throw of 85.97m. His next assignment is the all-important Paris Olympics 2024.

How did Neeraj Chopra qualify for Paris Olympics?

Chopra’s throw of 88.77m at the qualifiers of the World Athletics Championship 2023, ensured his qualification for Paris. A throw of 85.50m from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 assures an athlete of a quota, subject to other conditions. This entry standard was never going to threaten an athlete of Chopra’s calibre.

He eventually followed it up with a throw of 88.17m in the final, giving India a maiden World Championship gold medal.

Neeraj Chopra’s journey to Paris Olympics

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Chopra made place for himself in the annals of Indian history, not only becoming the second Indian after Abhinav Bindra to win an individual Olympic gold, but also winning independent India’s first track and field medal.

Also Read: 20 days to Paris Olympics 2024: Who are India’s top 10 medal contenders?

87.58 will be a number forever etched in the hearts and minds of Indians- the distance in metres, travelled by the javelin on Chopra’s second attempt.

After the Olympics, he took a few months off, which meant he gained almost 12-14 kilos. But, a strict diet ensured that Chopra regained fitness soon. He made his return at the Paavo Nurmi Games 2022, where a throw of 89.30m erased any remaining doubts.

At the Stockholm Diamond League, he finished second with a throw of 89.94m, which remains his personal best.

Chopra remained consistent, with a throw of 88.13m on his fourth attempt in the World Championships 2022 at Eugene, enough to win him a silver- this ended a 19-year wait for a medal at the event, after Anju Bobby George won India’s maiden medal (bronze) in 2003.

He then became the first Indian to win a Diamond League Final, with his best throw at Zurich, measuring 88.44m.

He came first in his first two tournaments in 2023: the Doha and Lausanne legs of the Diamond League and followed it up with a historic World Championship campaign. He then came second in the 2023 Diamond League Final at Eugene.

A heroic performance followed at the Hangzhou Asian Games 2022. Chopra, on his first throw achieved a distance well beyond 85m, but it was controversially declared null and void. He managed to regain his composure, with his fourth attempt measuring 88.88m, pipping Jena to win gold.

Chopra started his 2024 season with a second-placed finish at the Doha Diamond League- his best throw of 88.36m was just two centimetres short of Czechia’s Jakub Vadlejch. He then played his first tournament in India after the Tokyo Games, finishing first at the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar.

He was set to participate at the Ostrava Athletics Meet, but pulled out and took a break to prevent an adductor muscle injury, an issue which has troubled him in the past.

On his return, he won the gold medal at the Paavo Nurmi Games- his first gold at the annual meet in Turku. Having decided to not participate at the Paris Diamond League, he will next be competing at the ultimate sporting extravaganza in Paris.

Many on social media describe Chopra’s greatness as “having finished all the levels of a video game and then starting all over again.”

While Chopra has not been able to enter the elusive 90m club, he has been consistently throwing in a band of 85m to 89m, which has ensured a podium finish, at the least, in most tournaments.

While he has nothing left to prove to anyone, Chopra will be vying to script further history when he heads to Paris, where a tough field awaits him, including the likes of Anderson Peters (Grenada), Jakub Vadlejch (Czechia), Arshad Nadeem (Pakistan), Julian Weber (Germany) and Max Dehning (Germany), who is the youngest member to have joined the 90m club.

Major Highlights of his career

• 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medal
• 2023 World Championships gold medal
• 2022 World Championships silver medal
• Career Best Ranking: World No. 1
• 2016 World U-20 Championships gold medal (with a world junior record of 86.48m)
• 2017 Asian Athletics Championships gold medal
• 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medal
• 2018 Asian Games gold medal
• 2022 Asian Games gold medal
• 2022 Diamond League Final- Winner
• 2023 Diamond League Final- Second Place
• 2022 Lausanne Diamond League- First Place
• 2023 Doha Diamond League- First Place
• 2023 Lausanne Diamond League- First Place
• 2022 Stockholm Diamond League- Second Place (PB: 89.94m)
• 2023 Zurich Diamond League- Second Place
• 2024 Doha Diamond League- Second Place

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