After a long, long gap, the Indian sporting hero, Neeraj Chopra will finally be in action. The javelin thrower will compete in his very first event of 2024 at the Doha Diamond League on May 10, and then at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland on June 18. And there, it will be a tough test for the Indian, who will face off against Germany’s Max Dehning, who recently threw over 90m.
Neeraj Chopra at Paavo Nurmi
In 2022, it was a memorable performance for Neeraj at the Paavo Nurmi Games, where he won a silver medal, with an effort of 89.30m. In 2023, he could not participate at the event as he was nursing an injury at the time of the tournament.
“Javelin throw Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra will return to Turku in June. Chopra will compete in the Paavo Nurmi Games after a year’s break and will meet a high-quality group of competitors. The competition will take place in Turku on June 18,” said Arttu Salonen, an official at the Games.
“In addition to Chopra, we already have a contract with German Julian Weber and spring’s surprise Max Dehning. The goal is to throw the toughest javelin competition of the summer in Turku before the Paris Olympics. Negotiations with others continue. Naturally, we want top domestic names to cover Turku, led by Oliver Helander.
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Neeraj Chopra vs Max Dehning
While Neeraj is yet to cross the 90m barrier, German Dehning is the youngest in the world to breach the mark. He secured a distance of 90.20m at the German Winter Throwing Championships in Halle. The teenager made an improvement of over 11m from his previous best of 79m, to create a record of sorts.
Neeraj Threw 90.40m in Training
Neeraj Chopra’s coach Klaus Bartonietz was quoted as saying, that the Indian boy has already crossed the 90m mark in training a year ago in Turkey. “90 meters could have already been broken in the Stockholm record throw (of 89.94m, Chopra’s PB). In Stockholm, Chopra threw 20-30 centimeters from behind the line, so it was a 90-metre throw.
“90 metres is therefore only a matter of time. However, we say that it’s just a number,” Bartonietz was quoted as having stated at the World Javelin Conference.
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