Athletics
Asian Games medalist Kishore Jena in fray for Neeraj Chopra Classic
He will be the 12th thrower for the first-ever Javelin-only International meet in India.
Kishore Jena after winning the silver at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. (Photo credit: PTI)
Asin Games medalist and Paris Olympian Kishore Jena has been confirmed as a late entrant to the Neeraj Chopra Classic, a premier javelin-only -international Meet, scheduled to take place on the 24th of May in Bengaluru.
He will be the 12th javelin thrower to participate in this first-ever top-tier International meet in India. He will also be the fifth Indian thrower to compete at this event after Neeraj Chopra, Sachin Yadav, Rohit Yadav, and Sahil Silwal.
On the basis of personal best marks, Jena is the second-best on the all-time list of Indian javelin stalwarts after Neeraj Chopra. Also, Jena was a part of India's contingent for the Paris Olympics 2024.
With a personal best of 87.54m, he will be among the top names who will be aiming to enter the final 8 of the competition.
However, plagued by injuries, he hasn't found his best of form since the Paris Olympics. 77.82m is currently his best of the season thus far, sub-par by his own standards.
The Neeraj Chopra Classic will have several top javelin throwers from around the world, including former Olympic medalists Thomas Rehler (Germany) and Julius Yego of Kenya.
The two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada will also be in action and will be one of the favourites to win the meet alongside Neeraj Chopra.
