Neeraj Chopra attains World No. 1 in men’s javelin throw

Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra is the World No. 1 in the latest men’s javelin throw rankings issued by the World Athletics on Monday.

Neeraj topped the charts with 1455 points, 22 ahead of Grenada’s Anderson Peters. The Indian javelin throw ace rose to World No. 2 on August 30, 2022, but has been stuck behind Peters, the reigning world champion, since then.

Neeraj won the Diamond League 2022 finals in Zurich in September of last year, making him the first Indian athlete to do so. However, he was sidelined with an injury following his victory in Zurich.

Neeraj, the Indian national record holder in men’s javelin throw, competed in the season-opening Doha Diamond League on 5 May and finished first with a throw of 88.67m. Anderson Peters finished third in Doha with a distance of 85.88 meters.

The No. 1 ranking will come as a boost for Neeraj Chopra, who will next compete at the FBK Games 2023 on June 4 in the Netherlands. He also confirmed his participation at the Paavo Nurmi Games 2023 in Turku, Finland, on 13 June.

With the Paris 2024 Olympics approaching, the 2023 season promises to be a crucial one for Neeraj. Neeraj will compete in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in addition to defending his Diamond League title and Asian Games javelin gold medal in Hangzhou.