India's star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra clinched a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the final held at Stade de France on August 8 (Thursday), Neeraj threw the javelin to a distance of 89.45 meters in his second attempt, marking his best throw of the season. Neeraj has now won a medal in consecutive Olympic Games, becoming the first Indian athlete to achieve this feat after winning gold in an individual event at the Olympics. He is also the first Indian athlete to have won one gold and one silver medal.
Olympic Record Set by Arshad Nadeem
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the men's javelin throw gold medal was secured by Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, while Grenada's Anderson Peters managed to win the bronze medal. Arshad Nadeem set an Olympic record with his second throw, which reached 92.97 meters. He broke the old record held by Norway's Andreas Thorkildsen, who had set a record of 90.57 meters on August 23, 2008, during the Beijing Olympics.
Neeraj Chopra's Performance in the Final:
First Attempt- Foul Second Attempt- 89.45 meters Third Attempt- Foul Fourth Attempt- Foul Fifth Attempt- Foul Sixth Attempt- Foul
Arshad Nadeem's Performance in the Final:
First Attempt- Foul Second Attempt- 92.97 meters Third Attempt- 88.72 meters Fourth Attempt- 79.40 meters Fifth Attempt- 84.87 meters Sixth Attempt- 91.97 meters
Best Throws by All 12 Finalists:
1. Arshad Nadeem (Pakistan)- 92.97 meters 2. Neeraj Chopra (India)- 89.45 meters 3. Anderson Peters (Grenada)- 88.54 meters 4. Jakub Vadlejch (Czech Republic)- 88.50 meters 5. Julius Yego (Kenya)- 87.72 meters 6. Julian Weber (Germany)- 87.40 meters 7. Keshorn Walcott (Trinidad and Tobago)- 86.16 meters 8. Lassi Etelätalo (Finland)- 84.58 meters
9. Oliver Helander (Finland)- 82.68 meters 10. Toni Kuusela (Finland)- 80.92 meters 11. Luiz Maurício da Silva (Brazil)- 80.67 meters 12. Adrian Mardare (Moldova)- 80.10 meters
Neeraj Chopra made history at the Tokyo Olympics by winning a gold medal with a throw of 87.58 meters. This memorable event occurred on August 7, 2021. However, at the Paris Olympics on August 8, Neeraj couldn't replicate that golden achievement despite securing a remarkable throw of 89.45 meters, which marked his best throw at the Olympics so far. During the qualification rounds, Neeraj Chopra secured his spot in the finals with an impressive first-try throw of 89.34 meters. In contrast, Kishore Jena couldn't make it past the qualification rounds.
India's Medal Tally at Paris Olympics
So far, India has won a total of 5 medals in the Paris Olympics, including four bronze and one silver. Manu Bhaker brought home the first bronze in the 10-meter air pistol event, followed by another bronze in the mixed team event, where she was paired with Sarabjot Singh. The third bronze was won by Swapnil Kusale in the men's 50-meter rifle three positions shooting event. The hockey team secured another bronze, and lastly, Neeraj Chopra won the silver medal.