It’s a significant day for Indian athletics as the nation hopes to win as many medals as it can on Sunday in Budapest during the World Athletics Championships 2023. Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra is going for his first-ever world championship, and competitors like DP Manu and Kishore Jena will be vying for third place in the men’s javelin competition.
The men’s 4x400m relay team, which consists of Muhammad Anas, Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Ajmal, and Rajesh Ramesh, will have the opportunity to win gold as well. Parul Chaudhary will get a chance to compete in the women’s 3000-metre steeplechase final.
When the men’s javelin final at the 2023 World Athletics Championships concludes on Sunday, Neeraj Chopra will be attempting to win a gold medal. The defending Olympic champion had reached the championship round on Friday with a throw of 88.77 on his first try.
Not to mention, DP Manu and Kishore Jena are two more Indians competing in the final. With a throw of 86.79 metres, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem finished second in the qualifiers, exactly behind Neeraj. Nadeem has already surpassed the 90-metre threshold, which is a significant accomplishment in the javelin throw. Neeraj aspires to soon join the rare 90-metre club, though he hasn’t yet. In a perfect world, India would win all three medals.
India’s Neeraj and Pakistan’s Arshad will engage in a brief duel in the World Championships final. Although they are intense rivals on the pitch, the two appreciate one another.
Neeraj’s greatest career throw occurred at the Stockholm Diamond League the previous year. By barely 0.6 metres, he fell short of the 90-metre threshold with a throw of 89.94, a national record.
After completing his final qualifying, Neeraj said, “I have seen this in Tokyo as well as here. The majority of javelin throwers warm up early and appear to lose some energy before the competition.
“I didn’t perform any sort of javelin warm-ups or even touch it before the tournament. I simply went outside, took in the environment, and carried out my daily activities. I made some ball throws. I therefore make an effort to use my energy gently as needed”, he stated.
Neeraj claims that his success is the result of the lessons he has learned since the World Championships in London. Neeraj completed the task in Budapest as well in his first toss.
Over the years, we have witnessed so many outstanding athletes, but regrettably, we have only been successful in taking home two medals. Today is a day for dreams, and maybe at the end of the day we will be able to boast that we have discovered gold!
“Best of luck to Neeraj. Neeraj bhai, Aap bhi achcha karein, Hum bhi achcha karein. Aapka naam hai world me, hamara bhi naam aaye.” [Neeraj brother, you also do well, and I also do well. You have a name in the world. I hope I also get my name in the world], said Arshad to Neeraj.