Paris (France): After registering his Olympic best throw in the qualification round of the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics, defending champion Neeraj Chopra asserted that he has saved his best for the final which will be played on Thursday, August 8.
Neeraj registered a season-best score after throwing javelin 89.34m here at the Stade de France on Tuesday. It is also his career's second personal best throw after 89.94m achieved at the Stockholm Diamond League in Sweden on June 30, 2022. His previous gold medal-winning throw was measured 87.58m to become the first Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal in the track and field event.
"This is just the qualification round, the mindset and the situation in the final are different. I should focus on the preparations for the final after getting a good start," Neeraj told reporters after the qualification round.
The 26-year-old said all the throwers who have qualified with the automatic qualification mark of 84m will be his competition in the final. But, he also mentioned that his best is yet to come.
"I'm saving the best for the final and focusing on it. I'm ready for the final. I was not doing well here in the practice but when the qualification started, I had set the aim of qualifying in the first throw. My fitness is better now and I warmed up well before taking the first attempt," Neeraj added.
Apart from the 26-year-old, eight athletes qualified for the final with the automatic qualification mark including Grenada's Anderson Peters (88.63m), Julian Weber (87.76m) of Germany, Arshad Nadeem (86.59m) of Pakistan and Julius Yego of Kenya (85.97m) completed the top five.
"I try to do well from the first throw itself but it doesn't happen every time. If I fail to get the best out of the first throw then I try to do my best in every throw," he said about his mindset during such competitions.
When asked about the adductor injury that he sustained earlier in the year, Neeraj said, "I'm (feeling) better and taking all the precautions with a proper warm-up before the throw."
ONE AND DONE!
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) August 6, 2024
Men's Javelin Throw Qualification Update👇🏻
With the quest to defend his crown👑, #TokyoOlympics Gold 🥇 medalist @Neeraj_chopra1 advances to the finals with his first throw of 89.34 metres.
Meanwhile, @Kishore78473748 bows out of the #Paris2024Olympics with… pic.twitter.com/CEgOLvn1ve
India's other athlete Kishore Kumar Jena, who was in Group A, failed to breach the 84m mark for direct qualification to the final in all his three attempts. Jena's best effort was 80.73m which came in his first attempt. The second throw was a foul before he threw 80.21m in the third attempt. Neeraj, the reigning world and Asian champion, will aim to become the first Indian athlete to clinch two individual gold medals in the Olympics on Thursday (August 8).
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