Karlstad: Neeraj Chopra continued his fine form in Europe in the build-up to the Tokyo Olympics as the Indian javelin ace pocketed his second gold in June at Karlstad leg of the Folksam Grand Prix on Tuesday. Neeraj managed a distance of 80.96m for the yellow metal but was visibly disappointed with his performance on a wet evening in the Swedish city.
Iceland’s Sindri Hrafn Guðmundsson was second with a throw of 76.39m while compatriot Dagbjartur Dadi Jónsson took the bronze medal with an effort of 76.32m. In a six-competitor field, Neeraj started with a 79.07m throw in his first attempt and followed it up with 80.96m.
Neeraj then had three no-shows before rounding off his performance with a 77.48m throw in the sixth. Touted as one of the favorites for a meal at the Tokyo Olympics, Neeraj threw the spear 83.18m at the Meeting Cidade de Lisboa in Lisbon last week. It was his first international tournament in 18 months.
The 23-year-old Neeraj started his Tokyo Olympics year with a national record throw of 88.07m at the Indian Grand Prix III in March before following it up with another impressive 87.80m at the Federation Cup. Both events were held in Patiala.
Neeraj will next head for the Kuortane Games – a bronze label event on the World Athletics Continental Tour – in Kuortane, Finland on June 26. The Asian champion will be in for some stiff competition at the Kuortane meet with former world champion Johannes Vetter and the 2012 London Olympics gold-medallist Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago in the mix.
