Neeraj Chopra bags bronze at the Kuortane Games

Neeraj Chopra bags bronze at the Kuortane Games

Neeraj Chopra

Ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra clinched the bronze medal at the Kuortane Games in Finland on Saturday. He finished third behind world no.1 Johannes Vetter of Germany and former Olympic gold medallist Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Kuortane Games were eyed as the trailer of the men’s javelin throw scene for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. It was the most important meet before the coveted event. Neeraj Chopra threw his javelin at the 86.79m mark. Vetter produced a massive throw of 93.59m and Walcott gave his season-best with an 89.12m throw.

Chopra had come to the Kuortane Games with back-to-back gold medals at Meeting Cidade De Lisboa in Portugal and Karlstad GP in Sweden in his European tour. Although, he topped both the contests, his performance of 83.18m and 80.96m respectively were sub-par.

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Neeraj Chopra throws his best in his European tour so far

Neeraj Chopra
Neeraj Chopra

Neeraj Chopra bagged the bronze medal at the Kuortane Games with a throw of 86.79m. Although he didn’t come first, Chopra produced his best throw in his European tour so far.

The Tokyo bound athlete threw an 83.12m in his first throw and improved it to 86.79m with his second attempt. Chopra’s remaining four throws were fouls. However his measured distances were enough to guarantee his bronze. He beat reigning world champion Anderson Peters for the third place.

His throw, however, was a little short of his personal best of 88.07m he made at the third Indian Grand Prix in March. That performance was also a national record.

Also Read: Will Neeraj Chopra win India’s first Athletics medal at Tokyo Olympics? Here’s an Analysis