New Delhi, September 19
India's Olympic medalist javelin thrower superstar Neeraj Chopra has expressed disappointment following his eighth-place finish and failure to defend his title at the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Chopra also expressed his intention to perform well for India despite facing difficulties, and expressed good wishes for Sachin Yadav, his compatriot, who finished fourth in the competition.
"It's not how I had hoped to end the season, at the World Championships in Tokyo. I wanted to step out there and give my best for India despite all the challenges, but it wasn't my night," Neeraj Chopra said in a post on X.
"I'm really happy for Sachin, who threw a personal best and almost brought home a medal. Congratulations to @keshorn_walcott, @peters_oly and @Curt_Thompson_on their well-deserved podium places. Grateful for all your support, this only makes me determined to come back stronger," he added.
The world javelin title went to Trinidad and Tobago's Keshorn Walcott, who managed the best throw of 88.16 m, marking his first World Championship gold 13 years after his Olympic triumph in London.
At the second spot was Anderson Peters, the 2024 Olympics bronze medallist with a best throw of 87.38 m, followed by America's Curtis Thompson with a throw of 86.67 m.
Fans could not get the best of the India-Pakistan rivalry between Neeraj and Arshad Nadeem, as Neeraj finished eighth with a best throw of 84.03 m, while the Olympic champion Nadeem ended at tenth with an 82.73 m throw as his best.
In the first round, Julian Weber started the proceedings with a throw of 83.63. Neeraj Chopra, the defending champion, started his defence with a throw of 83.65 m, while his arch-rival and Pakistan's Olympic champion, Arshad Nadeem, began with a throw of 82.73 m.
However, Curtis Thompson took a lead with 86.67 m. For India, a young Sachin Yadav showed off with a fine throw of 86.27 m, outdoing Neeraj.
At the end, Keshorn, Peters and Thompson held the top three spots. In the fifth round, Neeraj was finally out, as he could not improve on his best finish, finishing at the eighth spot.
India's hopes of medals rested on Sachin, who had managed 85.96 m on his fifth attempt and stayed in the hunt at fourth spot. In the final round, Sachin managed a throw of 80.95, finishing in fourth place.
- ANI
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