India’s Neeraj Chopra made it to the men’s javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships 2023 after topping the qualifying round in Budapest, Hungary, on Friday. Manu DP and Odisha’s Kishore Jena also progressed to the final.
Competing in slightly overcast conditions, Neeraj Chopra produced a season’s best throw of 88.77m with his first attempt to gain a direct entry into the final scheduled on Sunday. The automatic qualifying mark was 83.00m. The 25-year-old Indian athlete did not go for his next two attempts.
The distance of 88.77m also saw Neeraj Chopra breach the Paris 2024 Olympic entry standard in javelin throw. The qualification window for the Paris 2024 Olympics for track and field athletes began on July 1, 2023. The entry standard for the men’s javelin throw event for the upcoming Summer Games is 85.50m.
Achieving the entry standard is just one part of the Olympic qualification process. National Olympic Committees have the final say as to whether an athlete will be selected to the NOC team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
India’s 23-year-old Manu DP, who was in Group A with Neeraj Chopra, finished sixth overall across both groups and qualified for the final courtesy his throw of 81.31m.
Odisha’s Kishore Jena, competing in Group B, also made the cut for the 12-man final with an 80.55m throw. He was ninth in the standings. Kishore Jena also became the first Odia to qualify for World Athletics Championship finals.
