Who is Kishore Jena? Know all about the athlete who gave Neeraj Chopra a run for his money before settling for silver at the Asian Games 2023

Kishore Kumar Jena etched his name in Indian sporting history at the 2023 Asian Games. The 28-year-old gave Neeraj Chopra a run for his money before settling for the silver medal in the men's javelin throw in Hangzhou, China, on Wednesday, October 4.

Kishore had a good start in the final, clearing the 80-meter mark by registering 81.26 meters. With it, he jumped to second place in the standings. His second throw saw a bit of drama as it was initially wrongly deemed illegal by the line official. However, the Indian protested and had his throw accepted, which was clocked at 79.76 meters.

Kishore then had a massive 86.77-meter throw to pip Neeraj to the top spot, with a gold medal looking likely. However, the Olympic champion landed 88.88 meters in his next attempt to push Kishire back to the second spot.

In his fourth attempt, Kishore improved his mark with an 87.54-meter effort, further solidifying his hold on the silver medal. The final two throws were a foul and a no-throw as he finished with a best attempt of 87.54 meters to take home the silver medal.

Fellow India Neeraj won the gold, with Japan's Roderick Genki Dean taking the bronze medal with a best effort of 82.68 meters.

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Who is Kishore Jena?

Kishore Kumar Jena hails from the Kothasahi village in Puri, in the state of Odisha. Born on September 6, 1995, he specializes in javelin throw and represents India in track and field events across the world.

Javelin throw was Kishore's first sporting love, as he pursued volleyball before his coach recognized his potential in javelin throw and encouraged him to make the transition.

He rose to fame this year when he secured the silver medal at the national championships held in Bhubaneshwar. At the Sri Lankan National Championships in July, he won the gold medal by registering a personal best distance of 84.38 meters. This also saw him secure a spot in the World Athletics Championship through the world rankings quota.

Although a podium finish eluded Kishore in his maiden appearance at the World Championships, he managed to reach the final of the men's javelin throw event, where he competed alongside compatriots Neeraj Chopra and D. P. Manu.

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Kishore Kumar Jena qualifies for the 2024 Paris Olympics

At the ongoing Asian Games, Kishore Kumar Jena competed with pride and purpose and fought hard for the top honors to secure not just the silver medal but also qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In his third attempt in Hangzhou, he registered an impressive throw of 86.77 meters, which saw him beat the Olympic qualification mark set at 85.50 meters.

Incidentally, it was also his new personal best as he surpassed the 84.77 meters he achieved at the World Championships in Budapest last month.