Neeraj Chopra national record: ‘Performance has boosted confidence’, says star
Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Tuesday (June 15) added another feather to his storied cap, setting a new national record with a throw of 89.30m at the Pavo Nurmi Games 2022 in Finland. This was Neeraj’s first competitive event after winning the historic gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Neeraj’s record breaking throws helped him finish second in the competition. Local favorite of the event Oliver Helander topped the list with a throw of 89.83m.
“I am happy with my performance. This was my first event of the season, so I am happy to start this season at a high level. My performance here has given me a lot of confidence.”
“Going forward, I am looking to work on my technique, throws and overall performance. I am in a happy place at the moment and I want to do well in the upcoming events,” said Neeraj.
@Neeraj_chopra1 rewrote the national record with a skyrocketing throw of 89.30m, winning silver at the #PaavoNurmiGames in Turku, Finland. Oliver Helander finished first and Anderson Peters third.
Once again, our golden boy has made India shine!#javelin pic.twitter.com/FwVn64yMTV – Sports Department MYAS (@IndiaSports) June 15, 2022
Neeraj’s previous national record was 88.07m, which he had set in March last year in Patiala. A few months later, on August 7, 2021, Neeraj became the first Indian to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics with a throw of 87.58m. After Abhinav Bindra, he is only the second Indian player to win an individual gold medal at the Summer Games.
In his first attempt, Neeraj reached 86.92m before moving the spear to 89.30m in his second attempt. The next three attempts of the 24-year-old failed. In his sixth and last throw, he threw his javelin 85.85 meters.
Neeraj’s best effort of 89.30m in the tournament also helped him reach the fifth position in the list of world season leaders. Meanwhile, reigning world champion Anderson Peters finished third with a throw of 86.60m.