Neeraj Chopra qualifies for finals with a first throw of 89.34m – top rivals to look out for

• Neeraj Chopra has qualified for the finals with a throw of 89.34m.
• The finals for men's javelin throw are scheduled for August 8.
• Here are the top rivals that Neeraj Chopra will face in the Paris Olympics 2024.

Defending champion Neeraj Chopra began his Paris Olympics journey on Tuesday as he looks to defend his title in men's javelin throw. Chopra qualified for the men's javelin throw final of the Olympic Games with a season's best effort of 89.34m.

Much like his performance in the Tokyo Olympics, the 26-year-old crossed the automatic qualifying mark of 84m in his opening throw.

The reigning Olympic and world champion earlier had a season's best of 88.36m set at the Doha Diamond League in May where he finished second. He holds the national record of 89.94m, achieved at the Stockholm Diamond League in Sweden in June 2022.

If he wins the gold medal on August 8, he will become the fifth man in Olympic history to defend his title and the first Indian to win two gold medals in an individual event.

Among the top contenders challenging Neeraj Chopra for the gold medal will be Jakub Vadlejch of Czechia. Grenada's Anderson Peters, Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, Julius Yego of Kenya, Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago and Finland's Oliver Helander add to the high stakes at the Olympics.

Germany's Max Dehning holds the world-leading mark of 90.20m, achieved in February. He has not gone past the 82m mark since then but his personal best still makes him one of the top contenders.

The qualification round will decide the line-up for Thursday's men's javelin throw final. Athletes achieving the qualifying mark of 84.00m will make the final.

Here's a look at Neeraj Chopra's top rivals at the Paris Olympics 2024:

Arshad Nadeem

Neeraj Chopra vs Arshad Nadeem is one of the most anticipated India vs Pakistan rivalries in athletics. Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem won the silver medal at the World Championships last year and gold at the Commonwealth Games 2022 with a massive 90.18m distance.

Julian Weber

Julian Weber, the reigning European Games champion from Germany has a personal best of 89.54m. He is ranked third in the world and his season's best of 88.37m came in May.

Oliver Helander

Oliver Helander of Finland is ranked fourth in the world and has a season's best of 85.75m. Earlier this year, he went head-to-head with Neeraj Chopra at the Paavo Nurmi Games. Chopra had topped the event with a distance of 85.97m while Helander was third at 83.96m.

Keshorn Walcott

Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago will be gunning for his third Olympic medal in his fourth appearance. He won the gold medal at London 2012, bronze at Rio 2016 and missed out at the Tokyo 2020 Games. The 31-year-old goes into the Olympics with a season-best of 85.11m and could prove to be a dark horse.

Keshorn Walcott

Julius Yego of Kenya, the Rio 2016 silver medallist, could prove to be a dark horse as well. The former world champion, now 35, has a season's best distance of 81.74m.

With inputs from agencies.

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