Neeraj Chopra had his sights set on the gold this year at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. He won it with a javelin throw of 88.17 metres. This is the first instance of an Indian athlete winning the gold at the World Championship.
Neeraj Chopra, the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist, once again brought glory to India by clinching his first-ever gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in the men's javelin event held in Budapest, Hungary. Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem (87.82m) took the silver medal while Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch (86.67m) won bronze. Neeraj's countrymates in the javelin throw final, Kishore Jena (84.77m) and DP Manu (84.14m) finished fifth and sixth respectively.
Neeraj had his sights set on the gold this year. His first attempt was termed a foul after he overstepped. The second attempt saw him make a strong comeback when he threw the javelin a staggering 88.17 metres. That was to be his best throw in the finals.
In his third attempt, Neeraj's javelin travelled 86.32 m. Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem came close to his Indian counterpart's mark in his third attempt when he threw the javelin 87.82 m. Neeraj landed the javelin at 84.64 m in his fourth attempt followed by a 87.73 metre throw in his fifth attempt. The last attempt saw him reach 83.98m.
On August 26, 2022, Neeraj achieved the milestone by becoming the first Indian to triumph at the Lausanne Diamond League with a remarkable throw of 89.08 meters, subsequently securing qualification for the Diamond League final, which he ultimately won.
Neeraj Chopra's illustrious career has seen him claim gold medals at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games, in addition to his Diamond League championship title. Nevertheless, he had yet to clinch the top prize at the World Championships. At the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon, he had to settle for silver, trailing behind Grenada's Anderson Peters. This silver medal marked India's first-ever podium finish at the World Athletics Championships and the country's second medal on the global stage, following Anju Bobby George's long jump bronze in Paris in 2003.
That dream turned into reality at the Budapest World Athletics Championships.
