Asian Games 2018: Neeraj Chopra is chasing Diamond after gold

Neeraj Chopra competes in the javelin throw final during the Asian Games in Jakarta yesterday. Pic/AFP

It was only a matter of turning up for India's star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and the gold medal was his for the taking. The U-20 World Junior Championship gold medalist threw his spear across 88.06m in his third attempt to comfortable clinch the yellow metal in his maiden Asian Games. Silver medalist Qizhen Liu of China was a good six metres off at 82.22m, while third-placed Nadeem Arshad of Pakistan could only manage 80.75m. None of the other competitors in the 13-member final field, except China's fourth-placed Qun Ma (80.46m), managed to touch the 80m mark.

Chopra was happy, however, to have surpassed his personal best of 87.43m in the bargain, a mark he had achieved at the prestigious IAAF Diamond League in Doha in May. "I was getting a good carry today, so I was aiming for the Asian Games record (89.15m by China's Qinggang Zhao) but couldn't get it. I'm happy I set a new national record," said the young champion, who has no time to celebrate as he has another IAAF Diamond League to participate in - only around 48 hours from now.

"I'm going to Zurich (Switzerland) from here for the Diamond League which begins on August 30. I'm flying out to tomorrow," said Chopra, 20. Interestingly, before last night, Chopra was placed seventh in the eight-man field at the Zurich event, based on the participants' personal bests. However, with yesterday's achievement, he has climbed up a notch.

Chopra said this Asian Games medal is his best achievement till date, even better than his world record throw (86.48m) at the U-20 World Championships in Poland in 2016. "Besides my world junior gold, I also won gold at the 2017 Asian Championships (85.23m) in Bhubaneshwar and the Gold Coast
Commonwealth Games (86.47m) this year - but till date, this is my best medal.

"Of course, a World Championship medal or an Olympic medal will be the pinnacle for me," added the Haryanvi lad, son of a farmer, who hails from Khandra village near Panipat. Chopra's concentration through this season must be lauded considering he lost his coach Garry Calvert, 63, who passed away due to a heart attack in July at Beijing, while Chopra was away for a competition in Finland.

Calvert was Team India's coach between February 2016 and April 2017 and was instrumental in Chopra registering his junior world record throw in Poland. The youngster recalled his teacher in this hour of glory. "I was in Finland when he passed away and I was shocked but then it's God's will so we can't really help it," said Chopra, whose throw would have been good enough to win a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where Trinidad and Tobago's Keshorn Walcott won third place with 85.38m.

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