World champion and Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra emerged champion in the men’s javelin throw event at the Paavo Nurmi Games 2024 in Turku, Finland, with a throw of 85.97m. Neeraj is back in action after skipping the Ostrava Golden Spike meet as a precaution. Neeraj was up against several global talents including Anderson Peters, Keshorn Walcott, Oliver Helander and Max Dehning – the youngest to cross the 90m mark. Neeraj had finished second at the event in 2022. Chopra, who won a silver medal here in 2022, produced a winning effort of 85.97m in his third attempt and led for much of the competition, which also included 19-year-old German talent Max Dehning, the youngest member of the 90m club.
Toni Keranen finished second with a best throw of 84.19m, while his compatriot and last edition’s winner Oliver Helander finished third with 83.96m. The 26-year-old Chopra came into the event after finishing second at the Doha Diamond League last month and winning gold at the Fed Cup in Bhubaneswar. After these two events, Chopra took a break after feeling “something” in his adductor (a group of muscles located on the inner thighs).