Neeraj Chopra set the tone for the finals with his first throw of 87.03m followed by an event better throw at 87.58m that won him the gold medal.
India’s star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra ended the 13-year-old wait to become the second Indian athlete to win an individual gold medal at the Olympics after Abhinav Bindra. After finishing first in the qualifiers, Chopra continued his stupendous form in the final by throwing a stunning 87.58m.
Chopra began with an impressive throw of 87.03m, following it up with 87.58m. The 23-year-old’s third attempt was below par as it was well below the 80m mark at 76.39m. He followed it up with two deliberate fouls as he failed to cross the 80m mark on his fourth throw and fifth throw. His last attempt was 84.24m.
The favourite to win gold medal at the event, Germany’s Johannes Vetter made a shocking exit as he could not qualify for the final eight. Vetter’s first throw was 82.52m which was followed by two fouled attempts. He also got injured during his second attempt and finished ninth.
On the other hand, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem missed the podium as he finished fifth. Nadeem’s best throw came at his third attempt at 84.62m.
Earlier in the qualifier round, Neeraj Chopra finished at pole position with an 86.65m throw on Saturday.
