Neeraj Chopra eyes history at World Athletics Championships

All eyes on Neeraj as his World championships campaign begins at Hayward FieldNEW DELHI: The moment everyone has been waiting for is here. Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra will begin his much-awaited campaign at the World athletics championships in Eugene early Friday morning (India time) when he, along with compatriot Rohit Yadav, will compete in the men's javelin throw qualification rounds in Group A & B at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field in the US. Neeraj, who is aiming to become the country's first-ever track and field world champion in the event's 39-year-long history, is expected to top the qualification stage and reach the final, scheduled early Sunday morning on the concluding day of the event.

Legendary long jumper Anju Bobby George is the first and the only Indian ever to win a medal at the World athletics championships - a bronze with a leap of 6.70m - at the 2003 Paris edition of the meet. In his debut outing at the 2017 Worlds in London, Neeraj had failed to qualify for the final round. He couldn't clear the automatic qualification mark of 83m, with his best throw recorded being 82.26m.

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Leading the hopes once again is Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra who will launch his spear in the men's javelin throw qualification round on July 22.

"I would look to compete at the World Championships with a pressure-free mindset. I won't like to bring that aura of invincibility with me that 'oh, I am an Olympic champion'. I will put my natural game into play and give my 100 percent on the field. For every athlete, the target is always the gold. It's the same for me," Neeraj had recently told TOI during an exclusive interaction from his