Tokyo: Defending champion Neeraj Chopra sealed his place in the men’s javelin throw final of the World Championships with ease, clearing the automatic qualification mark of 84.50m on his very first attempt here on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old, a two-time Olympic medallist, recorded 84.85m in Group A and immediately wrapped up his qualification. As per rules, athletes crossing 84.50m or the top 12 performers progress to the final, scheduled for Thursday.
Chopra was grouped with German star Julian Weber, who topped with 87.21m, alongside Keshorn Walcott, Jakub Vadlejch and Sachin Yadav in the 19-man pool. Group B features Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, Anderson Peters, Julius Yego, Luiz Da Silva, Rohit Yadav, Yashvir Singh and Sri Lankan youngster Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage.
In the previous edition in Budapest, Chopra clinched gold with 88.17m, ahead of Nadeem (87.82m) and Vadlejch (86.67m). This time, he will aim to become only the third male javelin thrower to defend a World Championships crown, after his coach Jan Zelezny (1993, 1995) and Peters (2019, 2022).
The final will also renew his rivalry with Nadeem, their first face-off since the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Nadeem struck gold with a mammoth 92.97m, while Chopra settled for silver with 89.45m.
