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Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will take on the hopes of crores of Indians at the World Athletics Championships beginning in Eugen, USA on Friday (July 15). With this, long jumper Murali Sreeshankar and steeplechaser Avinash Sable will also be expected to perform better. Veteran athlete Anju Bobby George won the historic bronze medal in 2003.
Chopra has consistently performed well this season. He scored his personal best twice. He threw 89.30m in Pavo Nurmi, Finland on 14 June and 89.94m at the Stockholm Diamond League on 30 June. He missed just 6 centimeters from 90 meters. During this time he won the title in Kuortane in Finland with 86.69m.
Given the form of the Tokyo Olympic champion, he is expected to become the first male athlete to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships. Neeraj’s main rival could be defending champion Anderson Peters of Granada. Four of the five best throws this season were from Peters. He also has a performance of 93.07m which is the best of this season.
Beat Peters twice this season
Gold medal can also be expected from Neeraj, as he has also beaten Peters twice this season at the Pavo Nurmi Games and Kuortane. Grenada’s Peters has also been troubled by injury this season while Neeraj’s fitness is going well. Other rivals for the Indian star athlete are Jakob Wedlejch (season best 90.88m), Germany’s Julian Weber (89.54), Trinidad and Tobago’s 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott (89.07) and Finland’s Olympia Helander (89.83). Apart from Neeraj Chopra, Rohit Yadav will be in the javelin throw, who performed 82.54m in the National Inter-State Championship.
Sreeshankar has done second best in the season
National record holder long jump player Murali Sreeshankar had jumped 8.36m during the Federation Cup in April. He will take part in the qualifying round on Saturday morning Indian time. The 23-year-old has consistently performed well this season. He jumped 8.31m in Greece followed by 8.23m at the Inter-State Championships. He is joint second among the top doers this season.
Greek Olympic champion Miltiadis, 24, will be a gold medal contender here. Apart from the Olympics, he won the world indoor (8.55) and European titles. In the Diamond League as well, he achieved resounding success at all three places in Rabat, Oslo and Stockholm. Simon Ehmer (8.45) of Switzerland has been the best performance in the season. India’s other athlete Jesswin Aldrin will also participate, who jumped 8.37m in the Federation Cup.
Sable can do his best again
In 3000m steeplechase, Avinash Sable bettered his national record by clocking 8:12.48. He will need to do his best amidst the heat and tough challenge. Sable has been competing with itself at the national level. He has trained mostly in America. Kenyan athletes have dominated this event.
The top spot will be between defending Olympic champion Sofion Al Bakali (7:58.28) of Morocco and Lamecha Girma (7:58.68) of Ethiopia. Lamecha had won a silver medal at both the Tokyo Games and the World Championships. Kenya’s defending champion Consuelas Kipuruto will have to show 2019 form. Last time in 2019, he finished 13th. A podium finish will be difficult but reaching the final will also be important.
Sandeep and Priyanka will walk on foot
Sandeep Kumar and Priyanka Goswami will participate in the 20 km walk on day one while Asian record holder Tejinder Pal Singh Toor will also participate in the qualifying round.
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