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Neeraj Chopra is all set to participate and lead India's campaign in the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest. The top-ranked Javelin thrower qualified for the tournament last year in the Lausanne Diamond League, where he met the cut-off of 85.20m with a throw of 89.08m.
The Olympic champion, who is yet to recover from muscle strain, is expected to make his return for the Diamond League in Lausanne on June 30. The 24-year-old had earlier missed out on FBK Games and Paavo Nurmi Games due to injury.
The Indian star began 2023 on a bright note after clinching the top spot at the Doha Diamond League. However, since then, he hasn't participated in any of the meets due to injury.
His return is a big boost for India as the country is still in search of its first gold medal as they have won only two medals in the prestigious World Athletics Championships.
Neeraj Chopra, in 2022 Eugene, became the first Indian to win a silver medal. Earlier, in 2003, Anju Bobby George made history by winning the first-ever medal in the Championships in Women's Long Jump.
World Athletics Championships will begin on August 19
World Athletics Championships will take place in Budapest in 2023. The championships will begin on August 19 and will end on August 27.
The athletes and teams can make it to the Championships in three ways. They can qualify by meeting the qualifying cut-offs in the sanctioned tournament. In some cases, the finishing position in sanctioned tournaments will be taken into consideration. Also, their world rankings during the end of the qualification period will help the players to get through directly.
Each country gets to decide the participants for the World Athletics Championships. Each country can send a maximum of three athletes for an event.
The ticket sales for the Budapest 23 are now open and are available on the official website. The tickets are classified into four categories, and the cost varies depending on the category. Notably, the mascot of the championships was revealed in May. Youhuu, a native Hungarian Racka Sheep, is the mascot for the championships.
