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Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra achieves this new feat; find out here

Neeraj Chopra has risen to the top of the athletics rankings for the first time in his career after the recent rankings released by World Athletics.

By Soumya | May 26, 2023 | 3 Min Read

In the most recent men’s javelin throw rankings released by the World Athletics, Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra rose to the top of the rankings for the first time in his career. Anderson Peters of Grenada, the current world champion, finished 22 points behind Chopra. This result ensured that Chopra moved up to world rankings to become the world’s number one player in the rankings released by world athletics. Neeraj has etched a name for his country on the global stage which has given India recognition amidst the entire world.

India has never been a very dominant powerhouse when it came to track and field events. It has now changed with the performance of Neeraj Chopra in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo 2020. Neeraj threw a record 87.58m. The exploits of Tokyo were something which the Indians have never experienced before particularly in the track and field event. Until Chopra’s Tokyo heroics, India’s legacy in athletics at the Summer Games was highlighted only by heart-breaking misses. Milkha Singh and PT Usha agonisingly fell short of the podium by a fraction of a second at Rome in 1960 and Los Angeles in 1984, respectively.

The tale of the record

Neeraj Chopra not only is an international record holder, rather he has a national record also to his name. He competed in the BAUHAUS-galan competition which is held in Stockholm where he finished with a record of 89.94 m which is his personal best. Neeraj has already scripted history at a young age itself by becoming the nation’s first and only track and field athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. In addition to this, he is the first Indian track and field athlete to win at the IAAF World U20 Championships. He now leads Anderson Peters, who is now in second place with 1433 points, with 1455 points. With 1416 points, Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch, the silver medalist from the Olympics in Tokyo is in third place.

What future holds for bright talent?

The latest achievement of Neeraj Chopra has demonstrated the track and field potential of India in front of the entire world. It displays his steady improvement and commitment to his trade, as he keeps pushing himself to the limit. Chopra’s unrelenting quest for excellence and competitive spirit has helped him establish himself as an inspiration for aspiring athletes in India and take up the sport. Neeraj Chopra wants to keep up his momentum and develop his abilities in the future.

His next destination is the Netherlands on June 4. Here, he will compete in the FBK Games. The immediate important tournament which is coming for the Indian athlete is on June 13 in Finland. Over here, he will compete in the Paavo Nurmi Games. Both these tournaments will give him excellent opportunities to compete against some of the best javelin throwers in the world and display his talent in these competitions. Although there are celebrations all around the country and in his home state of Haryana, however, he is busy preparing for these two athletics meets and climbing new ladders.

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