Watch: Neeraj Chopra's Historic Throw That Made Him 1st Indian To Win World Athletics Championships Gold

27.08.2023 - 20:57 sports.ndtv.com

Neeraj Chopra is born to make history it seems. The 25-year-old javelin thrower achieved yet another momentous high on Sunday night when he became the first Indian to win a gold medal in the World Athletics Championships with a throw of 88.17m in the men's javelin final at Budapest, Hungary.

The 25-year-old Chopra achieved his best throw of the day in his second attempt. He had a foul throw to start with, but then got 88.17m, 86.32m, 84.64m, 87.73m and 83.98m.

Pakistan's reigning Commonwealth Games champion Arshad Nadeem took the silver with his season's best throw of 87.82m, while Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic got the bronze. Watch: Neeraj's Historic Throw That Made Him 1st Indian To Win Worlds Gold 88.17 Meters forNeeraj Chopra becomes 1st athlete to win a gold medal at the #WorldAthleticsChampionshipsWatch the best of #Budapest23 - FREE only on #JioCinema #WAConJioCinema pic.twitter.com/le562o9zp2 In another first, three Indians finished in top eight with Kishore Jena (84.77m) and DP Manu (84.14m) taking the fifth and sixth spots respectively.

Never before did three Indians finish in top eight of an event in the World Championships. Chopra has now become only the second Indian -- after legendary shooter Abhinav Bindra -- to simultaneously hold the Olympics and World Championships title.

athletics track win watch Abhinav Bindra Jakub Vadlejch Arshad Nadeem Hungary Czech Republic India Pakistan

A World Championships gold was the crowning glory of this season but superstar javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has a title to defend as he takes the field against familiar rivals at the prestigious Diamond League finals on Saturday. The 25-year-old Chopra lifted the Diamond League champion's trophy in Zurich last year and he would be looking to do the same again after dominating the season which saw him win his maiden World Championships title in Budapest in August. If Chopra holds the trophy and pockets the USD 30,000 prize money at the Prefontaine Classic, he will become only the third man to defend the DL overall title, though the format changed in 2017.

Neeraj Chopra Seeks To Defend Diamond League Trophy

World Athletics Championships 2023 Was A "Big Challenge": Neeraj Chopra Tells NDTV

India's star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra added another feather to his cap last week by claiming a World Athletics Championships gold medal at Budapest, Hungary. With it, he also became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the event. Neeraj's best throw in the javelin final was 88.17m. He had a foul throw to start with but then got 88.17m, 86.32m, 84.64m, 87.73m and 83.98m. In a recent interview to NDTV, Neeraj has revealed that the World Championships was "a big challenge" for him.

Watch: Neeraj Chopra Misses Out On Diamond League Title By Narrowest Of Margins

Fresh off his gold medal-winning throw in the World Athletics Championships, India's 'Golden Boy' Neeraj Chopra had to settle for the second spot on the podium as he lodged the distance of 85.71m in the men's javelin event of the Diamond League Meeting here on Thursday. Another gold was expected from the ace athlete but he missed out on the top spot by the smallest of margins to the Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch, the man who had finished third in the World Championships a few days ago.

World Athletics Championships 2023 Was A "Big Challenge": Neeraj Chopra Tells NDTV

Neeraj Chopra Finishes Second In Zurich Diamond League With 85.71m Throw

Neeraj Chopra completed a brilliant recovery to finish second at the Zurich Diamond League men's javelin throw event on Friday. The reigning world champion started with a 80.79m throw before two false throws in his next two attempts put him in fifth position. However, in his fourth attempt, Neeraj came back strong with a 85.22m throw. Another false throw followed but with a 85.77m throw in his sixth and final attempt, he came agonisingly close to grabbing the top spot but he ended up narrowly missing out.