Neeraj Chopra & Kishore Jena at Paris Olympics 2024 Highlights: Neeraj Chopra confirms his qualification with a one and done massive throw, Kishore Jena is eliminated

Neeraj Chopra & Kishore Jenaat Paris Olympics 2024 Highlights: India's Golden Boy progresses to the final. Kishore Jena misses out. Follow Sportskeeda for live updates on Neeraj Chopra & Kishore Jena at the Paris Olympics 2024

So, the date is set. 8th August is when Neeraj Chopra will try and defend his golden medal. If he manages to do so, he'll become the first Indian to successfully defend his gold. That'll be a nice piece of history for the man who is no stranger to scripting history. That's all we have from the coverage of Indian athletics today then. You can hop onto our main blog to keep up with the other updates for Indian athletes at the Paris Olympics, 2024.

Neeraj progresses to the final, Jena misses out

RIght then. It was light work for the likes of Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem as they were two of nine athletes who confirmed their automatic qualification. With an 89.34m throw, India's golden boy went the maximum distance in the qualification rounds. However, his partner in crime, Kishore Jena only threw an 80.73, which wasn't enough for him to qualify for the finals that will take place on 8th August.

Mardare Andrian breaches the 84m mark as well!

He becomes the fifth athlete from this group to confirm his qualification. Here are the updated standings:

1. Neeraj Chopra (IND) - 89.34 (Q)
2. Anderson Peters (GRN) - 88.63 (Q)
3. Arshad Nadeem (PAK) - 86.59 (Q)
4. Mauricio Luiz da Silva (BRA) - 85.91 (Q)
5. Andrian Mardare (MDA) - 84.13 (Q)
6. Lassi Etelatalo (FIN) - 82.91
7. Marcin Krukowski (POL) - 82.34
8. Artur Felfner (UKR) - 81.84

Mauricio Luiz da Silva is the latest to confirm his automatic qualification!

Mauricio Luiz da Silva of Brazil throws an 85.91 to make it through to the final. The ecstasy on his coaches face tells you all you need to know and now we have 8 athletes who have confirmed their spot in the finals via automatic qualifications. Here are the current standings:

1. Neeraj Chopra (IND) - 89.34 (Q)
2. Anderson Peters (GRN) - 88.63 (Q)
3. Arshad Nadeem (PAK) - 86.59 (Q)
4. Mauricio Luiz da Silva (BRA) - 85.91 (Q)
5. Lassi Etelatalo (FIN) - 82.91
6. Marcin Krukowski (POL) - 82.34
7. Artur Felfner (UKR) - 81.84

It's going down to the wire now with only seven athletes confirming their spot via automatic qualification. Here are the standings in Group B:

1. Neeraj Chopra (IND) - 89.34 (Q)
2. Anderson Peters (GRN) - 88.63 (Q)
3. Arshad Nadeem (PAK) - 86.59 (Q)
4. Mauricio Luiz da Silva (BRA) - 83.21
5. Lassi Etelatalo (FIN) - 82.91
6. Artur Felfner (UKR) - 81.84
7. Marcin Krukowski (POL) - 81.37

Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem have seen enough of each other in recent times. They'll be battling out once again in the finals on 8th August. How does their record in head-to-head battles stand? Take a look 👇

Paris 2024 Olympics Javelin Throw: Neeraj Chopra vs Arshad Nadeem head-to-head record

Anderson Peters records 88.63 metres!

Do not count this man out. He joins Neeraj and Arshad in sealing the automatic qualification spot, sandwiched between the two in second place with a throw of 88.63 metres. Here are the updated standings:

1. Neeraj Chopra (IND) - 89.34 (Q)
2. Anderson Peters (GRN) - 88.63 (Q)
3. Arshad Nadeem (PAK) - 86.59 (Q)
4. Lassi Etelatalo (FIN) - 82.91
5. Luiz Maurício da Silva (BRA) - 81.62
6. Marcin Krukowski (POL) - 81.37

Kishore Jena is eliminated in the qualification groups

Kishore Jena was part of Group A in the qualification rounds for the men's javelin throw. He finished 9th in that group, with his best attempt of 80.73. That wasn't enough to guarantee automatic qualification in the first place and now he's officially been eliminated with athletes in Group B throwing better than him.

Sports rivalries are enjoyed by the fans and the players alike. However, Neeraj well and truly carries out his values and respects his opponents, no matter who it is. Here's our exclusive with India's golden boy himself 👇

"Our tradition has been to give respect to everyone" - Neeraj Chopra opens up on 'competition' with Kishore Jena and Arshad Nadeem; sheds light on training and diet for Paris 2024 Olympics [Exclusive]

Arshad Nadeem also confirms his qualification!

One of Neeraj Chopra's arch nemesis also confirms his qualification on his very first attempt, throwing a 86.59. It's season bests for Neeraj and Nadeem, going through to the finals in one go.

Here are the standings:

1. Neeraj Chopra (IND) - 89.34 (Q)
2. Arshad Nadeem (PAK) - 86.59 (Q)
3. Lassi Etelatalo (FIN) - 82.91
4. Marcin Krukowski (POL) - 81.37

Neeraj Chopra confirms his qualification in his first attempt!

The Golden Boy wastes no time to get his personal best in a qualification round, recording 89.34m in his very first attempt. One and done for the Indian. That was outrageous!

"Sport knows no bounds", they say. Well, this fan went a step ahead to prove the saying right. Here's the impossible journey of this Indian fan who bicycled all the way to France, only to watch Neeraj Chopra defend his Olympic gold medal 👇

Fan travels 22,000 km on bicycle to watch Neeraj Chopra defend gold at the Paris Olympics 2024

All the talk has been about Neeraj Chopra looking to breach that 90-metre mark. He's still not done that yet, and if remains to be seen if today will be the day he does. What is his personal best though? You can find out, right here 👇

Neeraj Chopra Personal Best: What is the Indian javelin thrower's PB ahead of Paris 2024 Olympics?

So, it's not a great outing for Kishore Jena as he stays in 9th place. He'll need some luck to make it through the next round and to make things worse, his destiny is not in his own hands. Meanwhile, four athletes confirmed their qualification into the finals. Up next, it's going to be qualifications from Group B, where Neeraj Chopra takes centre stage at 3:20 PM.

Here are the final standings from Group A:

1. Julian Weber (GER) - 87.76 (Q)
2. Julius Yego (KEN) - 85.97 (Q)
3. Jakub Vadlejch (CZE) - 85.63 (Q)
4. Toni Kearney (FIN) - 85.27 (Q)
5. Oliver Helander (FIN) - 83.81
6. Keshorn Walcott (TTO) - 83.02
7. Genki Roderick Dean (JPN) - 82.48
8. Mihaita Alexandru Novac (ROU) - 81.08
9. Kishore Jena (IND) - 80.73

Kishore Jena struggles in 9th place

It's been an ordinary season for Kishore Jena, failing to breach the 81-metre mark throughout the season. As it stands, he's in 9th place in Group A and his hopes for qualification don't seem too promising.

Latvia's Patriks Gailums is down in pain! He tweaked his knee in his final attempt and goes down in some serious pain. Hopefully, that’s nothing too serious.

Keranan Toni confirms his qualification!

That is a massive throw of the javelin from Finland's Keranan Toni! He becomes the fourth athlete to confirm his qualification for the finals with a throw of 85.27. Here are the updated standings:

1. Julian Weber (GER) - 87.76 (Q)
2. Julius Yego (KEN) - 85.97 (Q)
3. Jakub Vadlejch (CZE) - 85.63 (Q)
4. Toni Kearney (FIN) - 85.27 (Q)
5. Oliver Helander (FIN) - 83.81
6. Keshorn Walcott (TTO) - 83.02
7. Genki Roderick Dean (JPN) - 82.48
8. Mihaita Alexandru Novac (ROU) - 81.08
9. Kishore Jena (IND) - 80.73

Kishore Jena's hopes hang by a thread!

So, Kishore Jena throws 80.21 in his final attempt. His first attempt of 80.73 will count as his best attempt. It isn't enough to guarantee an automatic qualification, so he'll have to wait for the results of Group B before knowing if he has made it to the next round.

Julius Yego becomes the third athlete to seal automatic qualification!

In his final attempt, Julius Yego from Kenya throws a 85.97 metre to confirm his spot in the next round. That was a stupendous throw and the smile on his face tells you all about the relief he's feeling. Julian Weber and Jakub Vadlejch as the three athletes who have sealed their qualification.

Ihab Abdelrahman of Egypt seems to be in some serious pain after an awkward release in his second attempt. The veteran seems to be struggling at the moment and will need a miracle to qualify for the finals, especially if that injury is causing some discomfort.

Here are the standings after two attempts from all the athletes:

1. Julian Weber (GER) - 87.76 (Q)
2. Jakub Vadlejch (CZE) - 85.63 (Q)
3. Oliver Helander (FIN) - 83.81
4. Keshorn Walcott (TTO) - 83.02
5. Genki Roderick Dean (JPN) - 82.48
6. Julius Yego (KEN) - 80.76
7. Kishore Jena (IND) - 80.73

Jena fouls in his second attempt

It's a failed attempt for Kishore Jena as he oversteps the line. An 80.73 still holds him in decent stead but he'll be eager to confirm his automatic qualification in his final attempt.

Only the top 4 athletes have crossed the 80-metre mark in this event so far. World number one, Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic is yet to have his first attempt and all the focus will be on him as he comes up next. It's automatic qualification for him, throwing an 85.63 to confirm his qualification.

Julian Weber has sealed his qualification spot already, recording a mammoth throw of 87.76. Here are the top four standings at the moment:
1. Julian Weber (GER) - 87.76
2. Oliver Helander (FIN) - 83.81
3. Genki Roderick Dean (JPN) - 82.48
4. Kishore Jena (IND) - 80.73

Kishore Jena gets off to a flying start!

He was a little too close to crossing the line but he's managed to hold his balance and execute a stellar throw to start off. 80.73 is what he's achieved, currently keeping him in second place, only behind Oliver Helander with 83.81.

Right then. The athletes from Group A are all set to get underway. Remember, all the athletes get three attempts each with their best attempt counting for qualification.

So, 84.00 is the qualification standart for the athletes to make it to the next round. All athletes meeting the criteria or at least the 12 best performers will qualify for the finals.

While we wait for the first group to begin, let's get up to date with some rules of the sport, shall we? Have you ever wondered how much the javelin weighs? Well, wonder no more 👇

What is the weight of the javelin used at the Paris Olympics 2024?

Followed up by Jena, it’s going to be the one and only. The man who needs no introduction. India's Golden Boy - Neeraj Chopra. With a personal best of 89.94, he currently ranks second in the world. The gold medalist from Tokyo will be hoping for a repeat as he tries to overcome the 90-metre mark. Will today be the day he does that? Stick around to find out.

First up, it’s going to be Jena, who ranks 7th in the world with a personal best of 87.54. He’ll be competing in Group A for the qualifications, which will take place in about 20 minutes time. The Asian Games silver medalist will be hoping that he can bag another medal, this time at the biggest stage of them all.

It’s a big day for India at the Paris Olympics, 2024! All eyes will be on the track and field events today, as a certain Neeraj Chopra takes centre stage for his javelin event. Alongside him, Kishore Jena will also be representing India and the two of them carry India’s medal hopes this week.