New Delhi: Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra won his first gold medal of the season at the Kuortane Games in Finland with an 86.69m throw. After hitting this mark in the first attempt, the Indian javelin thrower had a foul in his second attempt following which he ended up slipping on the wet track in his third. He opted to skip the remaining two attempts, as per reports.
While Chopra bagged gold, Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott with 86.64m throw got the silver medal and Grenada’s Anderson Peters with 84.75m throw won bronze.
Anderson Peters is also the reigning world champion and currently the season leader with 93.07m throw while having won gold in the Doha Diamond League last month.
Reigning Asian and world para javelin champion, Sandeep Chaudhary, also took part in the competition and finished eighth, with the highest throw of 60.35m.
Meanwhile, Keshorn Walcott, the 2012 Olympic Champion, finished fourth in the javelin throw event in Turku, where Chopra finished second after setting a new national record at 89.30m.
Neeraj Chopra competed for the second time this week at the Kuortane Games, which is a silver-level event in World Athletics Continental Tour.
“I am pleased with my performance. It was my first event of the season, so I am happy to have started the season on a high note. My performance here has boosted my confidence significantly,” a report by Hindustan Times quoted Chopra as saying after the event.
“Going forward, I am looking to work on my technique, throw, and overall performance. I am in a happy place at the moment and I just want to do well in the upcoming events,” he added.