While Neeraj had a season-best throw of 88.88 metres, it was Kishore’s personal best of 87.54 metres that enabled him to win a silver medal at the Asian Games.
Neeraj Chopra, a star Indian athlete, added to his already impressive medal record by winning gold in the men’s javelin throw event at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Kishore Jena won silver in what was a double podium result for India. While Neeraj had a season-best throw of 88.88 metres, it was Kishore’s personal best of 87.54 metres that enabled him to win silver. Dean Genki Roderick of Japan finished third and won the bronze medal with a best performance of 82.68m.
Both Neeraj and Kishore experienced early challenges in the men’s javelin final due to technological concerns. Neeraj’s first throw was judged invalid, resulting in a substantial delay, while Kishore Jena’s second throw was initially ruled a foul before being corrected with a white flag. Despite these early defeats, both competitors demonstrated extraordinary perseverance and claimed podium spots a day after Annu Rani won gold at the postponed 2022 Asian Games.
Kishore gained the lead in the first part of the men’s javelin final with a personal best throw of 87.54m. Standing on the sidelines, Neeraj eagerly clapped for his colleague. This touching moment demonstrated Neeraj’s unfailing support for his teammates, and he truly celebrated Jena’s incredible feat on the big stage of his blossoming career before surpassing him in the fourth attempt.
The Asian Games gold medal was Neeraj’s second in the continental event, following his gold in the Jakarta edition of the Games in 2018. His illustrious legacy lives on as he adds to his medal total. At the age of 25, he already has a South Asian Games 2016 gold, an Asian Championship 2017 gold, a Commonwealth Games 2018 gold, an Asian Games 2018 gold, a 2020 Olympic gold, a Diamond League 2022 gold, a World Championships silver, and a Diamond League 2023 silver.