Neeraj Chopra qualifies for Tokyo Olympics 2020

Star Indian javelin throw athlete Neeraj Chopra booked his spot at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 with an 87.86m throw at the Athletics Central North East meeting contested on 28th January at the Kenneth McArthur Stadium in South Africa.

Needing to breach the 85m mark in order to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics slated to be held from 24th July - 9 August in Japan, Neeraj comfortably crossed the landmark and clinched first place at the event, with India's Rohit Yadav taking second place with his 77.61m throw.

Welcome Back Champ! 87.86m is just a start now...go on👍@Neeraj_chopra1 pic.twitter.com/dedSKcLRNZ

— Athletics Federation of India (@afiindia) January 28, 2020

Strong comeback after a hiatus

Notably, Neeraj was last seen in action during the 2018 Asian Games where he won a gold medal with a national record throw of 88.06m, post which he battled an elbow injury for a little more than a year.

One of India's biggest medal prospects, Neeraj's return to full fitness and form only bodes well for the Indian contingent, with the track and field events unable to yield medals, underlined by the fact that the last Indian representative to win a medal was Norman Pritchard back in 1900.

🚨Neeraj Chopra qualified for #tokyo2020 🚨@Neeraj_chopra1 qualified for Tokyo 2020 Olympics with a throw of 87.86m in southafrica 🇿🇦 today.Congratulations @Neeraj_chopra1👏👏👏 #ProudMoment #javelinthrow pic.twitter.com/AJaiD8oG5x

— INDIAN ATHLETES (@indian_athletes) January 28, 2020

With just 28 medals from the last 31 editions of the Olympics, the Indian athletes taking part in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 will have all eyes on them as the preparation begins to match the standards and overcome the challenges due to be posed at the global event.