Neeraj Chopra made the nation proud once again as he secured his first top-3 finish at the prestigious Diamond League Meeting in Stockholm on 30 June. The Tokyo Olympics gold medallist threw 89.94m in his first attempt itself, creating a new national record.
Chopra started with a bang, but failed to improve on his first attempt distance. His other throws were: 84.37m, 87.46m, 84.77m, 86.67 and 86.84m. With his first throw, the star athlete beat his own previous best of 89.30m, which he secured at Finland’s Paavo Nurmi Games two weeks ago.
Though he missed the 90m mark by a whisker, the 24-year-old javelin champion bagged the silver medal at the prestigious event. With this medal, he became the second Indian, after discus thrower Vikas Gowda, to finish in the top-three of a Diamond League competition. 2019 World Champion Anderson Peters of Grenada won the top spot.
As Chopra created another national record, congratulations poured from all corners:
Sports Minister Anurag Thakur praised Chopra’s abilities.
Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir called Neeraj Chopra “unstoppable”.
“Hum hi banayenge, Hum hi todenge.... What a return from the Champion at the Diamond League circuit with a new National Record throw of 89.94 meters at Stockholm,” wrote Virender Sehwag.
Here are some more reactions:
After the event, Neeraj Chopra said that he thought he could throw over 90m. "Today, I feel good and after first throw, I thought I could throw even over 90m today. But it is OK as I have more competitions coming this year," Chopra stated. "I am close to 90m now and I can throw it this year. Despite the fact that I did not win tonight, I feel very good because I did my best,” the Olympian added.
This was Neeraj Chopra’s first Diamond League appearance in almost four years after his fourth-place finish at the event in August 2018. The next Diamond League meeting is scheduled to be held in Monaco on 10 August. But it is not confirmed whether Chopra will make an appearance at the event as it will happen just days after the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where the 24-year-old will be defending his title.
from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/l291tE5
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