Athletics
Indian javelin throw squad at Paris Olympics 2024: Squad, schedule, medal prospects
As the javelin throw at the Paris Olympics gets underway Tuesday, the big question is can Neeraj Chopra defend his gold medal?
Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Kumar Jena won the gold and silver double at the Asian Games in 2023. (FILE PHOTO: PTI)
Javelin throw, the not-so-common sport in Indian athletics for a few years ago, rose to sheer prominence since Neeraj Chopra's historic gold medal-winning show at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Introduced as the last of the traditional throwing events, the javelin throw was included in the Olympic programme at the 1908 London Olympics.
India sent a three-member javelin throw contingent for Paris 2024, the joint-largest thus far after the Tokyo Olympics.
The competition, scheduled from August 6 to August 10, places Neeraj in the spotlight, who aims to defend his Olympic gold.
Even though he is the reigning world and Olympic champion, he could face some tough challenges in his quest to retain the yellow metal.
With a best throw of 88.36 meters this year, Neeraj faces strong competition from Max Dehning of Germany, who has the season-best (SB) throw of 90.20 metres. Not to forget Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, who has an SB of 88.65 meters, and Julian Weber of Germany, who is a little ahead of Neeraj with 88.37m throw.
However, Neeraj's pedigree and uncanny consistency in big events give a sense of hope.
Though Dehning has delivered a giant throw this season, he could not stay up to the fight against Neeraj at the Paavo Nurmi Games. The Indian thrower won the gold medal with his best throw of 85.97m.
Neeraj, however, finished second to Valdlejch in his season-opening event at the Doha Diamond League in May.
The Olympic Games are set for an evenly poised battle.
But the question is will Neeraj's golden reign continue, or will a new champion emerge?
Neeraj, the top contender
From the Indian perspective, 'Golden Boy' Neeraj will be the contender for the gold medal. His form has been such that anything less than a gold medal would be a big surprise.
In the Paris Olympics cycle, Neeraj competed in 17 events. He won 11 of them and came second in the rest of the six, with him recording 86m plus throw in all of them, setting the stage for another history in the making.
On the other hand, his counterpart Kishore Jena, who has a personal best throw of 87.54m, did a double with Neeraj at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
However, since that remarkable feat, Kishore lost his way and failed to cross the 80m mark in the Paris Diamond League on July 7. To be in the medal contention, he has to pull up his socks and attain a new personal best, if not better.
In the women's section, Asian Games gold medallist Annu Rani will carry the Indian challenge. However, she will have to achieve a new personal best in order to qualify for the final, demonstrating the gulf of difference between the continental Games and the Olympics.
In Tokyo 2020, she had a disappointing outing, finishing 29th out of 30 participants in the qualification round, failing to qualify for the finals.
Indian javelin throw squad for Paris Olympics:
Men's event: Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena
Women's event: Annu Rani
Schedule:
6th August (Tuesday)
Men's Javelin Throw Qualification A: 1:50 p.m.
Men's Javelin Throw Qualification B: 3:20 p.m.
7th August (Wednesday)
Women's Javelin Throw Qualification A: 1:55 p.m.
Women's Javelin Throw Qualification B: 3:20 p.m.
8th August (Thursday)
Men's Javelin Throw Final: 11:55 p.m.
10th August (Friday)
Women's Javelin Throw Final: 11:10 p.m.
The glorious moment
India had achieved an incredible feat at the Tokyo Olympics by winning its first athletics medal, and the cherry on top was gold.
On August 4, 2021, Neeraj made his Olympic debut at the National Stadium in Tokyo, securing victory with a throw of 87.58 meters in a rain-soaked field.
This victory not only brought India to its best-ever Olympic medal haul but also cemented Neeraj's status as India's global hero.
As a result of his performance in Tokyo, Neeraj became the second-ranked athlete internationally in the men's javelin throw and also became the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal after shooter Abhinav Bindra's feat in 2008.
As Paris 2024 approaches, Neeraj would aim to replicate his Tokyo heroics.
