Neeraj Chopra rewrites history, wins India's first gold at World Athletics Championships

Sunday, August 27, was an important day for Neeraj Chopra as the 25-year-old geared up for the 2023 World Athletics Championships finals in Budapest, Hungary.

Having previously struck silver at the last edition of the games, Chopra was looking to add the revered gold to his already impressive collection.

Things got off to a slow start for the Olympic gold medalist, as his first throw was a foul. However, on his very next attempt, the Indian came up with an impressive 88.17m throw.

Chopra's toughest competitor in the final was Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who had cleared the 90m mark at last year's Commonwealth Games, a feat Chopra has yet to achieve.

In this year's World Championships finals, however, the best Nadeem could do was 87.82m in his third attempt.

To seal his first gold at the World Athletics Championships, Chopra scored 86.32m, 84.64m, 87.73m, and 83.98m in his final four attempts. The Indian was joined on the podium by Arshad Nadeem and Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch.

This historic gold marks India's first at the World Athletics Championships. Other than Chopra, Indian javelin throwers Kishore Jena and DP Manu also had impressive performances, as they finished fifth and sixth respectively. This is the first time that India has had three players in the top 8 of an event in this competition.

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Neeraj Chopra adds World Athletics Championships gold to his collection

Chopra is arguably the best javelin thrower India has ever seen, and his gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championships is further proof of his prowess.

With this win, Chopra has now claimed gold medals at all major events. The Indian won the Asia Games and Commonwealth Games in 2018. He stood on top of the podium at the Olympics in Tokyo 2020.

Last year, Chopra added the cherished Diamond League gold to his collection and this year, he's topped it off with a win at the World Championships.