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The prestigious World Athletics Championships 2023 will be held in Budapest, Hungary, from August 19 to 27. With an aim to secure a podium finish, top-notch track and field athletes from different countries will compete in this mega event.
The Indian contingent finalized for this year's World Athletics Championships has raised the expectations of the nation. The squad includes several young and promising athletes who excelled at various big events. However, Tokyo Olympics gold medalist in men's javelin throw, Neeraj Chopra, is the strongest medal hope for India.
At the 2022 World Athletics Championships held in Eugene, Chopra claimed a silver medal (88.13m). He remained the only Indian to win a medal at last year's edition. This year in Budapest he will definitely aim to clinch a gold medal.
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The sensational athlete also scripted history at the 2022 Diamond League final held in Zurich. He won the coveted trophy with a throw of 88.44m.
Currently, the 25-year-old has been in amazing form. He won the 2023 Doha Diamond League with an excellent 88.67m throw. Later, Chopra also secured first position in Lausanne Diamond League with a throw of 87.66m.
However, the World Athletics Championships is highly competitive and to win gold in this event is an immense challenge. The reigning Olympic Champion in the men's javelin throw will also get tough competition from other athletes.
Javelin throwers who can challenge Neeraj Chopra at World Athletics Championships
#1 Anderson Peters
Anderson Peters is the reigning World Champion in the men's javelin throw. At the 2022 World Athletics Championships, he won a gold medal with a massive 90.54m throw. His other throws that went beyond 90m in the final were marked at 90.21m and 90.46m.
With that outstanding effort, the 25-year-old defended his title as well. Other than Jan Zelezny, he is the only javelin thrower to do so.
This year, the Grenadian athlete has not been able to gain the kind of form he was in last year ahead of the World Athletics Championships. At the 2023 Doha Diamond League, he could only manage a throw of 85.88m. That is nowhere near his personal best throw of 93.07m registered in 2022 at Doha.
Nevertheless, Peters showcased his ability to produce massive throws on several occasions. He is therefore a big challenge for Neeraj Chopra.
#2 Jakub Vadlejch
Jakub Vadlejch will represent the Czech Republic at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. He won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 with a throw of 86.67m.
Thereafter, he has been in a good form. At the World Athletics Championships last year, he clinched a bronze medal with an effort of 88.09m.
At the 2023 Lausanne Diamond League he threw 86.13m to secure the third position. The 32-year-old finished second at the 2023 Doha Diamond League with a throw of 88.63m.
His season's best effort is marked at 89.51m. Hence, he is a strong contender in the men's javelin throw at Budapest and a real challenge for Neeraj Chopra.
#3 Julian Weber
Julian Weber will represent Germany at the World Championships. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, he finished in fourth position with a throw of 85.30m.
At the 2022 World Athletics Championships as well, Weber secured fourth position with an 86.86m effort. However, at the 2023 Lausanne Diamond League, the 28-year-old finished second with 87.03m throw.
With a season's best throw of 88.72m, the German athlete is definitely a medal contender in men's javelin throw at Budapest. He will also give tough competition to Neeraj Chopra.
#4 Arshad Nadeem
Arshad Nadeem is a talented javelin thrower from Pakistan. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, he stunned reigning World Champion Anderson Peters to win a gold medal with a throw of 90.18m.
At the World Athletics Championships last year, the 26-year-old finished fifth with an effort of 86.16m. He also stood at fifth position in javelin throw at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Now, the 2023 World Championships will be a big opportunity for him.
Despite the presence of multiple tough competitors at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Neeraj Chopra has proved his brilliance several times in the past. Even at the Tokyo Olympics, he claimed the gold medal by defeating many highly rated and better ranked javelin throwers. So, he has a good chance to replicate that performance in Budapest this year.
