What’s the story?
Neeraj Chopra got the better of Davinder Singh in a closely contested affair on Friday to win the gold in men’s javelin throw on day two of the Federation Cup National Senior Athletics Championships. Neeraj is ranked 9th in the world and Davinder isn’t far behind with a world ranking of 11.
Neeraj, who is the world junior record holder, snatched the gold with a fine best throw of 85.63m at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports in Patiala.
India comes second in the world after Germany if we consider the top two javelin throwers per country.
The context
India have never been as successful in athletics and track and field events and have never an Olympic medal in the same. However, there has been a sudden change in the trend with the emergence of Chopra and Singh, who are showing great potential and can be one of the medal prospects come Tokyo 2020.
The heart of the matter
The contest between Neeraj and Davinder was the showstopper of the day. The former overtook previous meet record holder Devender Singh’s score of 79.65m, achieved in Mangalore in 2015. Neeraj’s effort finds a place in the top ten throws in the world for this season.
Davinder’s silver medal-winning effort was recorded at 83.82m and Abhishek Singh of Uttar Pradesh got the bronze with a best throw of 77m.
20-year-old Neeraj hails from Panipat, Haryana. Last year, he won the gold medal in the IAAF World U20 Championships held at Bydgoszcz, Poland. He also won the gold at the 2016 South Asian Games in Guwahati, equalling the national record with a best throw of 82.23m but failed to qualify for the Rio Olympics.
What’s next?
The focus will now be on the preparations for the World Championships later this year. Both Neeraj Chopra and Davinder Singh have already qualified for the event which is to be held in London.
Author’s take
This is indeed a proud moment for all Indians to see our country in the top echelons of the sport. It will no doubt provide much inspiration and motivation for all the young javelin throwers to go on and make it big on the international stage.
Also Read: 10 things you need to know about India's latest athletics sensation Neeraj Chopra
