Paavo Nurmi Games: Neeraj Chopra sets new national record, bags silver medal
The meet in Finland was Neeraj's first competition since winning the historic gold medal at Tokyo 2020 in August last year.
A tantalizing contest is in the offing as Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra and Germany’s Max Dehning are set for a javelin throw showdown at the Paavo Nurmi Games , Finland on June 18.
The Paavo Nurmi Games, first held in 1957, is Finland’s top track and field competition, held every summer.
The competition, labelled Continental Tour Gold, is a top-tier World Athletics event.
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The meet will be Chopra’s second competition of this year. The Indian will start his season at the Doha Diamond League on May 10.
Chopra won a silver medal at the Paavo Nurmi Games in 2022 with a throw of 89.30m – a personal best mark for him at that time.
He bettered his personal best with an 89.94m throw at the Stockholm leg of the Diamond League in the same year, which is also the current Indian national record.
He did not compete at the Paavo Nurmi Games last year due to injury.
The annual athletics meet in Turku also features top javelin throw stars from around the world every year.
Germany’s 19-year-old Max Dehning, who became the youngest javelin thrower to breach the coveted 90m mark earlier this year, is also expected to compete in Turku this year.
Dehning’s 90.20m is the world-leading mark this year.
Dehning is also a two-time World U20 Championships silver medallist and has already met the entry standard for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Julian Weber, who finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics and is the reigning European champion, will also be competing in Finland.
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