Neeraj Chopra qualifies for World Athletics Championship final with first throw

Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra advanced to the World Athletics Championship final on Wednesday after sending his spear to 84.85m in his very first attempt during Group A qualification. The automatic qualifying mark was set at 84.50m.

Chopra, who opened the round as the first thrower, secured his spot immediately and packed up after clearing the mark. Under the rules, athletes crossing the qualification standard or finishing among the top 12 earn a place in Thursday’s final.

Group A featured several top contenders, including German star Julian Weber, who also qualified with a throw of 87.21m, along with Keshorn Walcott, Jakub Vadlejch, and Sachin Yadav in the 19-man lineup.

Group B, comprising 18 athletes, will see Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, former world champion Anderson Peters, Julius Yego, Luiz Da Silva, Rohit Yadav, Yashvir Singh, and Sri Lanka’s rising talent Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage in action.

At the last edition in Budapest, Chopra clinched gold with 88.17m, ahead of Nadeem (87.82m) and Vadlejch (86.67m), who took silver and bronze respectively.