Hangzhou, China, October 4, 2023: Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra of India was in a class of his own as he won the gold medal in the men’s javelin throw at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Wednesday.
Chopra defended his Asian Games gold medal with a throw of 88.88 metres. In Chinese numerology, eight is a lucky number. And it was the case for India’s javelin ace even though his first throw, a brilliant effort which went a great distance, was chalked off due to a technical malfunction.
It did not faze him as he trumped the field with his closest challenger being compatriot Kishore Jena after Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, world silver medallist, had pulled out on the eve of the competition.
“I don’t know what happened. I thought my first throw was very good but then I was informed there had been a technical glitch. It didn’t matter in the end and I’m very pleased to have won my second Asian Games gold medal,” said the Indian ace, gold medallist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as well as being crowned world champion in Budapest, Hungary in August.
Jena won the silver medal with 87.54 while Japan’s Roderick Genki Dean won the bronze with 82.68.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first to congratulate Chopra on Twitter. Modi wrote: “Congrats to him for this historic feat. This spectacular victory is the result of his dedication and years of training. May he keep scaling new heights of success. All the best to him.”
The much-anticipated showdown between Chopra and sub-continent rival Nadeem never materialised, after Nadeem pulled out of the Asian Games a day ahead of the men’s javelin competition due to a knee injury.
Nadeem was taken to hospital in Hangzhou for an MRI scan after complaining of persistent pain in his right knee. The scan revealed a chronic injury he had been carrying.
A statement issued by the Pakistan camp on the eve of the race said: “After consulting medical personnel, Arshad has decided not to participate at the Asian Games in order to prevent any untoward situation that may hinder his training programme and participation at the 2024 Paris Olympics.”
The rivalry between Chopra and Nadeem had intensified when they finished one-two, respectively, at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary in August. The encounter between the two in Hangzhou was expected to be one of the high-profile clashes in the athletics programme in Hangzhou.
Nadeem’s absence made it a one-horse race as the 25-year-old Chopra dominated from the outset, only challenged by fellow-Indian Jena whose style of falling down as he threw the javelin earned rapturous applause from the fans inside the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium
The first male athlete from India to win a gold medal in athletics at the Olympic Games, Chopra nailed the gold on his fourth attempt after having watched Jena momentarily take the lead on his third throw with an 86.77 effort. Chopra, however, reclaimed top spot with his season best effort of 88.88 to clinch the gold medal.
