"No better feeling than being back on the track!"
Olympic Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra took to Twitter to share a video of his throw at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland, which helped him better his national record.
Neeraj threw the javelin a distance of 89.30 metres to finish second in the event.
This was his first competitive event since winning the gold medal in Tokyo in 2021.
Neeraj wrote on Twitter: “No better feeling than being back on the track!
“Very happy to start my 2022 season with a Personal Best throw of 89.30m.
“Thank you @paavonurmigames for a great experience and congrats to Oliver Helander for the win. Next stop @KuortaneGames.”
Finland’s Oliver Helander won the gold medal at the event with a throw of 89.83 metres.
He opened with an impressive 86.92m before sending the spear to 89.30m. His next three attempts were fouls while he came up with 85.85m in his sixth and final throw.
Neeraj Chopra’s 89.30m effort will take him to the fifth spot on the world season leaders’ list.
Reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada was third with a best effort of 86.60m.
This was Peters’ first defeat after seven wins on the trot this season.
2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago was fourth with a best throw of 84.02m, followed by Germany’s Julian Weber and Czech Republic’s Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch.
No better feeling than being back on the track! Very happy to start my 2022 season with a Personal Best throw 89.30m. Thank you @paavonurmigames for a great experience and congrats to Oliver Helander for the win. Next stop @KuortaneGames.
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— Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) June 15, 2022
Chopra’s rival and friend Johannes Vetter of Germany, who has a maximum number of 90m-plus throws among the active javelin throwers, was set to take part in the Paavo Nurmi Games but had withdrawn.
Chopra recently said that he would not put himself under pressure with the thought of throwing beyond 90m and would look to build up gradually to peak during the July 15-24 World Championships in Eugene, USA.
The Paavo Nurmi Games are named after the legendary Finnish middle and long-distance runner.
It is a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series event, one of the most prestigious competitions outside the Diamond League Meetings.
More than 10,000 people turned up to watch the events.
Neeraj Chopra will next take part in the Kourtane Games in Finland where he is currently based.
He will feature in the Stockholm leg of the Diamond League on June 30, 2022.
He had earlier trained in the USA and Turkey before shifting base to Finland in May 2022.
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