Athletics: World Champion Neeraj Chopra to compete in Paavo Nurmi Games 2024

Turku: Reigning Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra will be in action in the men’s javelin throw competition at the Paavo Nurmi Games 2024 athletics meet in Turku, Finland on Tuesday.

All eyes will be on Neeraj, who will be competing in his third event of the season.

The reigning world champion finished second in the Doha Diamond League in his season opener with an 88.36m throw before bagging the gold medal at the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar in May - his first competition in India since the Tokyo Olympics.

The 26-year-old Indian javelin thrower had pulled out of the Ostrava Golden Spike athletics meet in Czechia late last month as an injury precaution but is on the entry list for the Paavo Nurmi Games 2024.

The Tokyo 2020 gold medallist will have the opportunity to test himself against a star-studded field in Turku, which includes Germany’s 19-year-old Max Dehning.

Dehning became the youngest javelin thrower to enter the 90m club when he recorded a 90.20m throw at the Winter Throwing Championships in Halle in February. Neeraj is yet to touch the 90m mark in his career. He has a personal best of 89.94m which is also the men’s javelin throw national record in India. Two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada and 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago will also be in action at Turku. Finland’s Oliver Helander, who beat Neeraj to win the gold medal at the Paavo Nurmi Games in 2022, is also in the fray. However, Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of Czechia, who beat Neeraj in the Doha Diamond League last month, and World Championships silver medallist Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan have pulled out of this meet.  (ANI)

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