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Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra added another sporting experience to his name on Sunday
The maiden edition of Neeraj Chopra Classic javelin throw event will be teeming with stars as the likes of Anderson Peters of Grenada and Thomas Rohler of Germany are taking part.
Julian Weber finished atop the pile with a throw of 86.12m.
India will mount a "strategic" bid for the 2029 and 2031 World Athletics Championships when the process begins later this year, hoping to get the hosting rights of one of the two editions of the showpiece, national federation spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla said on Sunday.
Gulveer Singh shattered a decade-old meet record, high-jumper Pooja Singh delivered a personal best show, while heptathlete Nandini Agasara rose to the occasion after a setback as the trio added three more gold medals to India's kitty on the penultimate day of the 26th Asian Athletics Championships.
India's star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra dropped a heart-warming message for his German rival Julian Weber after the duo breached the 90 metres mark for the first time in their stellar careers.
Nandini Agasara had received a provisional berth for the World Championships in Tokyo in September by virtue of winning the heptathlete gold medal at the Asian Championships.
Needless to say, his next big target is to finish on top of the podium at the World Athletics Championships.
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The 27-year-old Chopra won the title with his first round throw of 88.16 metres in a star-studded field having five competitors in the 90m club. His second throw measured 85.10m and he then fouled his next three attempts before recording 82.89m in his sixth and final effort.
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Sumit Antil sent his spear to a distance of 69.50m to stand to claim the gold medal.
The Indian contingent won as many as six gold medals, including double podium finishes in the women's 800m final and long jump competition, on the second and final day of Taiwan Open International athletics championship.
Along with Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, Kishore Jena, Rohit Yadav and D P Manu have also qualified for the August 19-27 World Championships in Budapest.
Neeraj Chopra would now be eyeing a top finish when he goes up against familiar rivals in the prestigious Paris Diamond League
'The occasion was even more special because I had Abhinav A Bindra sir with me.'
'I wanted to state that this event will be an annual affair. As of now, it will be just a men's javelin event. But in future, I am hoping other events will also be added.'
Sumit Antil clinched a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games javelin throw F64 event with a world record effort of 73.29m.
National record holder in women's javelin throw, Annu Rani would consider herself to be lucky to make it to the squad as she has been struggling for some time to reach the 60m mark.
Neeraj Chopra's event granted category A status by World Athletics.
Before Rani, Kashinath Naik and Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra had won a bronze and a gold in men's javelin throw in the 2010 and 2018 editions respectively.
Neeraj Chopra may have clinched the Golden Spike title in his maiden appearance at the meet, but the former Olympic champion was far from satisfied with his performance.
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For Neeraj Chopra, the inaugural edition of Neeraj Chopra Classic is more than achieving success on the field, it's giving the Indian fans a chance to watch top-class competition in person, something that will help raise the profile of the sport in the country.
On the eve of the Diamond League in Doha, the two-time Olympic medallist and reigning world champion, sought to set the record straight when asked about his equation with Nadeem, who won the gold medal at the Paris Games last year.
'Family members asked me not to come empty-handed, I am sure they'd be happy'
Double Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra will kick off his season at the Doha Diamond League on May 16.
The Neeraj Chopra Classic is a World Athletics Gold category event featuring former world champions Anderson Peters and Julius Yego, 2016 Olympic winner Thomas Roehler and American Curtis Thompson among others.
Both of them are banking on "conducive" conditions to ensure a strong performance.
Jena found it difficult to get the big throws in and thought of quitting the sport in July last year just before the World Championships.
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DP Manu and Kishore Jena are the other two javelin throwers who will be in action on Friday.
In the absence of several Indian and foreign para athletes, who had initially confirmed their participation but pulled out for various reasons, there were several events where the participation was a bare minimum -- in some disciplines just one athlete participated.
History was made under the Doha lights as Neeraj Chopra finally broke the 90-meter barrier - a mark he had chased for years.
