Neeraj Chopra creates history again, clinches silver at World Athletics Championships

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra created history again after clinching silver in javelin throw at the World Athletics Championships, becoming the only second Indian and first male track and field athlete to do so.

Chopra, 24, who entered the competition as a medal favourite, finished second with a best throw of 88.13m.

Chopra started with a foul throw and threw 82.39m and 86.37m to finish fourth after three rounds. He regained his rhythm with a massive fourth-round throw of 88.13m, his fourth career-best performance, to surge to the second position, which he maintained until the conclusion. His fifth and sixth attempts were both fouls.

A great accomplishment by one of our most distinguished athletes!

Congratulations to @Neeraj_chopra1 on winning a historic Silver medal at the #WorldChampionships. This is a special moment for Indian sports. Best wishes to Neeraj for his upcoming endeavours. https://t.co/odm49Nw6Bx

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 24, 2022

Defending champion Anderson Peters of Grenada won gold with a best throw of 90.54m while Olympic silver winner Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic took the bronze with 88.09m.

Chopra won the Group A qualification round and qualified for the final in second place behind Peters, throwing his spear 88.39m, his third career-best throw. Peters had won Group B with a distance of 89.91m.

Rohit Yadav, the only Indian in the competition, finished 10th with a best throw of 78.72m. In the qualification round, Rohit finished 11th overall with a best throw of 80.42m.

Last month, the 21-year-old Indian set a season and personal best of 82.54m while earning silver at the National Inter-State Championships.

Chopra earned India's first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo last year. He is only the second Indian to win an Olympic individual gold medal, following shooter Abhinav Bindra in the 2008 Beijing Games.