Javelin ace Chopra to compete in Kuortane Games on Friday

NEW DELHI: Ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will be part of a highly competitive field at the Kuortane Games on Friday in Finland in a bid to further boost his confidence ahead of next month's Tokyo Olympic Games.

The Kuortane Games will be 23-year-old Chopra's third competition on the European circuit. He has won gold medals in Lisbon on June 10 and in Karlstad on June 22.

Chopra's performance in both Lisbon and Karlstad Grand Prix was moderate though.

The 2018 Jakarta Asian and Commonwealth Games champion's personal best and national record is 88.07m, recorded in March in Patiala.

In Lisbon, Chopra won gold with 83.18m while his best throw in Karlstad GP was 80.96m.

India's Olympic hopeful returned to international competition after nearly 18 months since qualifying for the Tokyo Olympic Games in January 2020 in South Africa due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Shivpal Singh is the other Indian javelin thrower to have qualified for the Olympics. He, however, has opted to train in Patiala to prepare for the Olympics.

Singh had skipped the one-day Indian Grand Prix IV held on Monday in Patiala, but is expected to compete in the National Inter-State Athletics Championships scheduled from Friday in Patiala. (IANS)

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