World Athletics C'ship: Neeraj, Sachin storm into final; Arshad Nadeem too makes cut (Ld)

Tokyo, Sep 17 (IANS) The defending champion Neeraj Chopra made it look effortless once again at the World Athletics Championships, needing just one throw to book his place in the men’s javelin throw final here on Wednesday, sending the spear to 84.85m — comfortably past the automatic qualifying mark of 84.50m.

Alongside him, compatriot Sachin Yadav produced his career-best performance on the big stage to also secure a spot, giving India two finalists in one of the marquee events of the championships.

This was the fifth straight occasion at a global meet where he sealed qualification with his very first attempt, having done so at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, and the Paris Olympics last year.

Chopra's consistency has become as much of a talking point as his medals. A double Olympic medallist, the 27-year-old now stands on the cusp of defending his world title, which he first claimed in Budapest two years ago with a throw of 88.17m — a landmark moment as India’s first-ever athletics world champion.

Sachin Yadav, competing in Group A, had a more winding route to the final. He began with a modest 80.16m but steadied himself to close with 83.67m, finishing 10th overall to make the 12-man cut. Rohit Yadav (77.81m) and Yash Vir Singh (77.51m), however, failed to advance.

As Chopra and Yadav advanced, all eyes inevitably drifted to Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem. The 2023 World silver medallist and reigning Olympic champion from Paris hurled the javelin to 85.28m to comfortably progress.

It sets up yet another chapter in a rivalry that has captured the imagination of fans across the subcontinent. Nadeem dethroned Chopra at the Paris Olympics last year with a massive 92.97m effort, while the Indian had to settle for silver with 89.45m.

Germany’s Julian Weber, too, made a statement, recovering from an opening throw of 82.29m to produce a season-leading 87.21m in his second attempt. The German and Brazil’s Luiz da Silva are ahead of Chopra in this year’s world list, though the Indian owns the national record at 90.23m, set in Doha earlier this season.

The final is scheduled to start at 3:53 PM IST on Thursday.

--IANS

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