Indian reigning Olympic and world champion, Neeraj Chopra, is set to participate in the Ostrava Golden Spike 2024 athletics meet in Czechia on May 28. This event, the 63rd edition of the Ostrava Golden Spike, holds a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold label.
Neeraj’s upcoming appearance marks his third competitive outing this year, as he gears up to defend his Olympic title at Paris 2024. His season commenced at the Doha Diamond League on May 11, where he secured second place with a throw of 88.36m, narrowly missing out on first to Jakub Vadlejch, the Tokyo 2020 silver medalist.
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Neeraj Chopra coming off a gold at Federation Cup
Recently, Neeraj clinched gold at the Federation Cup athletics meet in Bhubaneswar, his first competitive outing in India since 2021. He achieved a throw of 82.27m, triumphing over Manu DP at the Kalinga Stadium.
At Ostrava, Neeraj faces stiff competition from Vadlejch and Anderson Peters, a former world champion from Grenada. Peters, finishing third in Doha, joins the fray alongside Neeraj and Vadlejch.
Despite initial plans to compete last year, Neeraj withdrew from the 62nd Ostrava Golden Spike due to a muscle injury. Vadlejch emerged victorious in the men’s javelin event in 2023, recording a throw of 81.93m.
Besides Neeraj, Vadlejch, and Peters, other global stars, including Marcell Jacobs, Gianmarco Tamberi, and Mondo Duplantis, are set to grace the Ostrava Golden Spike. Following Ostrava, Neeraj is slated to participate in the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, on June 18.
