Kishore Jena will also accompany him; Wrestler Vinesh will face Olympic champion Susaki. Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, Kishore Jena, and wrestler Vinesh Phogat will begin their respective campaigns at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday. Tokyo 2020 gold medalists Chopra and Jena will participate in the qualification event for the Men’s Javelin Throw. The medal match for this event will be held on August 8.
On the 11th day of the ongoing Games in Paris, wrestler Vinesh Phogat will face Japan’s Olympic and world champion Yui Susaki in the pre-quarterfinals of the Women’s 50 kg. Susaki has not lost a single international match to date.
At the same time, the Indian hockey team will play against world-champion Germany in the semi-finals. Additionally, the Indian men’s table tennis team will face China in the pre-quarterfinals. The team includes Achanta Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, and Manav Thakkar.
Today’s Medal Events
- Sailing: The final race of the Women’s Dinghy Race will be held, featuring Netra Kumaran.
- Sailing: The final race of the Men’s Dinghy Race will be held, featuring Vishnu Saravanan.
Can Neeraj Chopra Win a Second Consecutive Gold?
More than 140 crore Indian fans are hoping for a gold medal from Neeraj Chopra. If he succeeds, he will become the fifth javelin thrower in history to win consecutive Olympic golds. The previous athletes to achieve this are Eric Lemming (Sweden 1908 and 1912), Jonni Myra (Finland 1920 and 1924), Chopra’s idol Jan Zelezny (Czech Republic 1992 and 1996), and Andreas Thorkildsen (Norway 2004 and 2008).
Chopra has participated in three tournaments this year, winning gold in two: the National Federation Cup and the Paavo Nurmi Games, and silver in the Doha Diamond League. He has consistently thrown javelins over 80 meters, with all top-5 throws exceeding 88 meters.
Chopra missed the Paris Diamond League due to an adductor injury but returned with a gold medal throw of 85.97 meters at the Paavo Nurmi Games. His coach has confirmed that he is now fit and there are no lingering issues.
Who Can Challenge Neeraj?
- Max Dehning: Germany’s Dehning threw 90.20 meters in February, making him a strong contender.
- Jakub Vadlejch: The world’s number-one javelin thrower and Diamond League champion, with a season best of 88.65 meters and silver in Tokyo.
- Anderson Peters: Two-time world champion from Grenada, with a season best of 86.62 meters and an all-time best of 93.07 meters.
- Arshad Nadeem: The Pakistani star won silver at the World Championships with a throw of 90.18 meters and gold at CWG 2022.
- Oliver Helander: Finland’s Helander is ranked fourth in the world, with a season best of 85.75 meters.
Men’s Javelin Throw Qualification Groups for Paris Olympics
- Group A: Julius Yego (Kenya), Oliver Helander (Finland), Leandro Ramos (Portugal), Keshorn Walcott (Trinidad and Tobago), Kishore Jena (India), Teura’itera’i Tupaia (France), Julian Weber (Germany), Roderick Jenki Dean (Japan), Alexandru Mihaeta Novak (Romania), David Wagner (Poland), Toni Keranen (Finland), Ihab Abdelrahman (Egypt), Curtis Thompson (USA), Patriks Glems (Latvia), Pedro Henrique Rodrigues (Brazil), Jakub Vadlejch (Czech Republic).
- Group B: Neeraj Chopra (India), Gatis Kaks (Latvia), Max Dehning (Germany), Cameron McEntyre (Australia), Arshad Nadeem (Pakistan), Marcin Krukowski (Poland), Lassi Etelatalo (Finland), Nnamdi Chinecherem (Nigeria), Luiz Mauricio da Silva (Brazil), Mustafa Mahmoud (Egypt), Artur Felfner (Ukraine), Timothy Hermans (Belgium), Anderson Peters (Grenada), Andrian Mardare (Moldova), Edis Matusevicius (Lithuania), Cyprian Mrzglod (Poland).
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