World Athletics Championship: Is Neeraj Chopra bringing India closer to the javelin world record?

As anticipation builds for the upcoming World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hungary, scheduled from August 19 to August 27, all eyes are fixed on Indian star athlete Neeraj Chopra. Having won a silver medal last time, Chopra remains a central figure in this year's event.

The Data Intelligence Unit of India Today traced the trajectory of javelin throw records at national, international, and championship levels, and observed a remarkable surge since Chopra's entry into the sport.

The latest feather in Chopra's cap is his national record-breaking performance of 89.94 m at the Diamond League in Stockholm in June 2022. This broke his previous record of 88.07 m at the Indian Grand Prix 3 in Patiala, on March 5, 2021.

With such a continuous rise in national records, the margin between World Record (98.48m) and National Record (89.94) is narrowing.

The world record for javelin throw remains with Czech Republic's athlete Jan Zelezny, who achieved a distance of 98.48 m on May 25, 1996, in Jena, Germany. He also holds the championship game record at 92.80 m, accomplished in 2001 in Edmonton, Canada. However, these records have not been surpassed in the past two decades.

Spearing Ahead

Radhakrishnan Nair, the chief coach of the Athletics Federation of India, attributed the surge in the record to the javelin throw’s popularity growing in India. “The x-factor behind this impressive growth is the planning of the AFI,” he told India Today.

Nair also praised the government of India, and said: “The government has been continuously working to support athletes in the country and among all other games, javelin has been given more focus in recent years.” He added, “In coming years, India will get some more young athletes as the AFI is recognising young talent and enrolling them in the National Centre of Excellence.”

Chopra's record-breaking journey commenced at the 2016 World Under 20 championships in Poland. He further made waves at the Jakarta Asian Games on August 27, 2018, with a javelin throw of 88.06 m.

India's track record in the World Athletics Championship, which began in 1983, comprises two medals. Anju Bobby George won a bronze in the Women's Long Jump in Paris in 2003. After a wait of eight championships, Chopra secured the second position at the 2022 championships.

Annu Rani’s contribution to the sport

It is not only the men’s record that has seen growth but the women’s national record as well. The national record for women's javelin throw now stands at 63.82 m, achieved by Annu Rani on May 8, 2022, in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.

This superseded her own previous record of 63.24 m, set in 2021, in Patiala, Punjab. Rani first came into prominence with a throw of 59.53 m in Incheon, South Korea, in October 2014. Earlier, Gurmeet Kaur held the record from 2000 to 2013 with a throw of 58.64 m in Bengaluru, Karnataka in 2000.

The women's javelin throw world record is held by Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic, achieved in Germany on September 13, 2008, during the Stuttgart IAAF World Athletics Final.

The game record is secured by Olisdeilys Menendez of Cuba, reaching 71.7 m at the Helsinki IAAF World Championships in Finland. Just like the men's world and game records, there has been no change in it in the last decade.

Team India in World Athletics Championship

The Indian contingent for the upcoming World Athletics Championship in Budapest comprises 28 athletes who have successfully qualified. Among these, 23 athletes will compete in the men's category, while the remaining 5 will contend in the women's division.

Of the men's group, 14 will participate in track and road events, with the remaining nine engaging in field events. Within the women's category, three athletes will compete in track and road events, while the remaining two will participate in field events.