New Delhi, India, June 15, 2022: India’s Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra set a new national record and finished with the silver medal with a javelin throw of 89.30 metres at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland on Tuesday, June 14.
In his first outing in an international competition since his historic gold medal winning throw of 87.58m at the Tokyo Olympics in August 2021, Chopra bettered his own previous national mark of 88.07m he had set in Patiala last March.
Chopra’s 89.30m effort in Finland saw him finish second on the podium behind Finnish favourite Oliver Helander, who achieved a personal best of 89.93m.
"Very nice competition, and I'm very happy for my personal best and national record," Chopra said.
The Athletics Federation of India in a congratulatory missive tweeted: “Hope for more, further”.
Chopra’s first competitive event after 10 months turned out to be a landmark moment as he nearly touched the coveted 90 metres mark which is considered as the gold standard in the world of javelin throw.
The Paavo Nurmi Games, a gold event in the World Athletics Continental Tour, is one of the biggest track-and-field competitions outside the Diamond League.
Chopra will next compete at the Kuortane Games in Finland before heading to Sweden for the Stockholm leg of the Diamond League at the end of June.