Neeraj Chopra secured victory at the Ostrava Golden Spike, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event, with a throw of 85.29m. Despite clinching the title, the Olympic champion admitted he wasn't entirely satisfied with his performance. This marked his first appearance at the meet.
Neeraj Chopra celebrates his victory at the Ostrava Golden Spike.
Chopra led the field of nine athletes, achieving his best throw in the third round. His series included a foul on his first attempt, followed by 83.45m in the second round, 85.29m in the third, 82.17m and 81.01m and a foul in the final round.
"I am not that happy with my performance today, but I am very happy with the trophy I won," Chopra stated. "I used to watch this meeting a lot as a kid. I watched people like Jan Zelezny and Usain Bolt winning the Golden Spike and I dreamt of winning one as well. Now the dream has come true," the double Olympic-medallist added.
The 27-year-old acknowledged the enthusiastic support from the Czech crowd. "I know the javelin throw is very popular in Czechia. The amount of support we were getting from the crowd was crazy. I just wish I could have performed better for them," Chopra said. He had previously surpassed the 90m mark at the Doha Diamond League in May, where he finished second.
Having recently secured a Diamond League victory in Paris, Chopra is scheduled to compete at the NC Classic in Bengaluru on July 5. He will be up against strong competitors, including Anderson Peters and Thomas Rohler.
Despite not meeting his personal expectations, Neeraj Chopra's effort was enough to secure the Golden Spike title.
Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu’s inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
Newer articles
Older articles