Paris: Defending Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra made a remarkable start in the men’s javelin throw qualification round at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday. The Tokyo Olympics gold medalist delivered a stellar throw of 89.34 meters in his first attempt, easily surpassing the qualification mark of 84.00 meters to qualify for the Finals.
ONE AND DONE!
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
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) August 6, 2024
This throw was not only Chopra’s best of the season but also his second-best ever, following his 89.94-meter throw at the Stockholm Diamond League in 2022.
Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, a key competitor and rival, also advanced to the finals with a season-best throw of 86.59 meters. In Group A, Asian Games silver medalist Kishore Jena failed to advance to the finals, finishing ninth with his best throw of 80.73 meters.
In wrestling, Indian star Vinesh Phogat advanced to the semifinals of the women’s 50 kg freestyle category after a hard-fought victory over Ukraine’s Oksana Livach. Phogat secured the win with a score of 7-5, showcasing her resilience and skill.
Women’s Freestyle 50 kg Quarter-Finals👇🏻
After upsetting #Tokyo2020 gold medallist🥇 Susaki, @Phogat_Vinesh 🇮🇳 next outclasses Ukraine’s🇺🇦 Oksana Livach 7-5 in the quarter-finals to advance to the semis of the #Paris2024Olympics.
With this win, Vinesh is now just one win away… pic.twitter.com/8iO5BeH2Hu
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) August 6, 2024
Phogat’s next opponent will be either Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, a Pan American Games champion, or Lithuania’s Gabija Dilyte. The semifinal match will begin at 10:25 PM IST, with Phogat just one win away from clinching a medal.
Earlier, Phogat delivered a brilliant start to her Paris Olympics campaign as she defeated the top seed and the Tokyo 2020 champion Yui Susaki of Japan in the women’s 50kg freestyle round of 16 match.
Susaki was leading 1-0 at the end of the first period, but Vinesh made a brilliant turnaround in the second period, outdoing her Japanese opponent by miles to secure a 3-2 win to make way to QFs.
