A look at Kishore Kumar Jena's qualification for Paris Olympics 2024

Kishore Kumar Jena won a silver medal at the 2022 Asian Games with his personal best throw.

India’s rising javelin throw star, Kishore Kumar Jena, is set to make his Olympic debut at the 2024 edition in Paris. The athlete, who has been a regular competitor for 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Neeraj Chopra over the last couple of years, can potentially secure a podium finish in the French capital.

The current World No. 7 in javelin throw rose to fame when he breached the 80m mark at the 2023 Indian Grand Prix in Thiruvananthapuram, where he also clinched the gold medal by registering a throw of 81.05m. 

From the small village of Brahmagiri in the Puri district of Odisha to the world stage to compete with the best athletes in the world, the journey has not been easy for Kishore Kumar Jena. Initially inclined to volleyball, he changed his career to athletics after encouragement from his coach at the sports hostel in Bhubaneswar.

How did Kishore Kumar Jena qualify for Paris Olympics?

Indian athletes clinched two medals at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games in the javelin throw event. While the Indian ‘golden boy’ Chopra ended his campaign with a top finish on the podium, it was Jena who bagged the silver medal with a throw of 87.54m. 

With the medal, Kishore also secured a place for himself at the Paris Olympics. He became the second javelin thrower from the country to achieve this honour, as Neeraj had already put his name on the list after his clinical performance at the 2023 World Athletics Championship, where he grabbed the gold medal with an 88.77m throw. 

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Kishore Kumar Jena’s journey to Paris Olympics

Back in 2022, at the Indian Open Athletics Championships in Bengaluru, Jena bagged his first major national medal by winning the bronze with an 78.05m throw, which also became his personal best at that time. 

Then came the year of 2023, which turned Kishore into a household name amongst sports enthusiasts. He started the season by winning a gold medal at the Indian Open Throws Competition in Bellary with an 78.93m throw. With the win, he also bettered his personal best. 

With every next event, he went on improving his personal best. At the 2023 Indian Grand Prix in Thiruvananthapuram, he clinched another gold with a throw of 81.05m. His performance again improved at the 2023 Nationals in Bhubaneswar, where clinched a silver while taking forward his personal best to 82.87m. 

Then came the qualification for the World Athletics Championships. According to the rules, the top 36 ranked athletes in the world, at the end of July 2023 would have qualified for the event. Initially, Kishore was ranked 41st at the start of July 2023. 

His qualification depended on his performance at the Lebanon National Championships in Beirut and the Sri Lanka National Athletics. Although he could only manage a throw of 78.96m in Lebanon, he achieved yet another personal best in Sri Lanka with a throw of 84.38m and clinched the gold medal. This also helped him move to the 36th rank. 

Still, his entry to the World Athletics Championships was a question, as only three athletes from a country were allowed to participate in the event, with Neeraj, DP Manu and Rohit Yadav sitting with a better rank than Kishore. Interestingly, Neeraj Chopra received a wild card entry, which opened the door for Kishore Kumar Jena.

Unfortunately, Rohit Yadav missed the event due to an injury. Although Kishore couldn’t achieve a medal at the Championship, he finished at the fifth spot with a throw of 84.77m, announcing his arrival into the mix amongst the world leaders in the particular sport. 

He then moved on to the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, where he clinched the silver medal with a throw of 87.54m, which to-date remains his personal best. 

In 2024, Kishore Kumar Jena has a personal best of 80.84m, which he achieved at the Indian Championships and bagged the bronze medal. 

Major Highlights of his career

• 2022 Asian Games – Silver Medal
• 2023 Sri Lanka National Athletics – Gold
• 2023 World Athletics Championships – Fifth Position
• 2022 Indian Open Athletics Championships – Bronze
• 2023 Indian Open Throws Competition – Gold
• 2024 Indian Championships – Bronze

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