India’s Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra is set to defend his title in the men’s javelin throw at the Paris 2024 Olympics, starting with the qualification round on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
At 26, Chopra comes into the competition as both the reigning Olympic and world champion. He boasts a season-best throw of 88.36m, achieved at the Doha Diamond League in May, and holds the Indian national record of 89.94m, set at the Stockholm Diamond League in June 2022.<\/p>\n
The qualification round will determine the finalists for the event on Thursday. To secure a place in the final, athletes must meet the qualifying mark of 84.00m. If fewer than 12 competitors achieve this distance, the top-ranked athletes will fill the remaining spots, ensuring a minimum of 12 finalists.<\/p>\n
Chopra will face a highly competitive field. Notable contenders include Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who won silver at the 2023 World Championships and gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games with a throw of 90.18m. Germany’s Julian Weber, the European Games champion, has a personal best of 89.54m and has consistently thrown over 85m this season.<\/p>\n
Other top competitors include Finland’s Oliver Helander, who is ranked fourth globally with a season-best of 85.75m, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott, a two-time Olympic medalist with a season-best of 85.11m. Kenya’s Julius Yego, the Rio 2016 silver medalist and former world champion, also brings a wealth of experience with a season-best of 81.74m.<\/p>\n
Additionally, athletes to watch include Jakub Vadlejch from Czechia, Anderson Peters from Grenada, and Germany’s Max Dehning, who currently holds the world-leading mark of 90.20m set in February.<\/p>\n