The World Athletic Championships got done with recently. And it was Neeraj Chopra once again with a historical feat for India. He won the silver medal for javelin throw at the event in Oregon, USA. With this win, he became only the second Indian to win a medal at the World Athletic Championships. Notably, he now boasts of the best ever finish by an Indian athlete in the competition’s history. Anju Bobby George bagged the bronze medal in the 2003 edition in Paris. Besides, he achieved the feat in his first appearance in the final of this event.
Chopra won the second prize with a throw of 88.13m in the fourth round of the final. He was beaten by the 90.54m throw of Grenadian Anderson Peters. Notably, Chopra recently scripted another history at the 2022 Kourtane Games in Finland. He set the national record with a throw of 89.94m, winning gold in the process. Furthermore, he rose to prominence after winning the gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. However, the 24-year-old will be absent from the 2022 CWG in England due to a groin injury. He seemed to have damaged his hamstring during his silver medal-winning throw. Nevertheless, India will keep their hopes on Rohit Yadav to make amends in the javelin throw category at the upcoming event. Yadav bagged the 10th spot in the recently concluded World Championships.
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Who were the best performers for India at the 2022 World Athletic Championships?
India had one other top 10 podium finish in the javelin throw category. Female athlete Annu Rani grabbed the 7th spot thanks to her throw of 61.12m in the final. However, the 29-year-old seemed out of touch in regard to the levels expected of her. Notably, she has broken the national record nine times since 2014.
In a series of firsts, Murali Sreeshankar became the first Indian male to appear at the finals of the long jump category. His 7.96m jump helped him secure the 7th spot in the event. However, the 23-year-old remains one of the prime Indian contenders for a medal at the 2022 CWG.
25-year-old Eldhose Paul is the only remaining Indian athlete to grab a top 10 finish in their respective categories. Paul finished 9th in the Triple Jump event of the World Athletic Championships. Notably, he now stands as the only Indian to appear in the final of the said event. The Indian contingent finished with a single medal at this year’s event. However, it was their most successful campaign to date in terms of Indian finalists.
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