Neeraj Chopra failed to win the gold medal and even cross the distance of 90 meters in the Paris Olympics but despite this he remained the undisputed hero of Indian athletics in the year 2024. This 26-year-old javelin thrower could not defend his gold medal in the Paris Olympics and had to be content with a silver medal.
He also finished second in the prestigious Diamond League finals. But it should not be forgotten that he achieved both these achievements despite being injured. He was suffering from a thigh muscle strain even before the Paris Olympics, while his left hand was injured before the Diamond League final.
In the Paris Olympics, he stood second after Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan. The Pakistani athlete had created a new sports record by throwing the javelin 92.97 meters. He finished second behind Grenada’s Anderson Peters in the Diamond League finals. Chopra’s target was to achieve a distance of 90 meters but despite coming close to it twice this year, he failed to touch this magical figure. Chopra’s best performance is 89.94 metres. He will try to achieve this goal next year also.
Talking about India’s other players in athletics, 3000m steeplechaser Avinash Sable failed to go on to win medals at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. He finished 11th in the Paris Olympic final. Another world class athlete long jumper Murali Sreeshankar missed the Olympics due to a knee injury and subsequent surgery. The men’s 4x400m relay team also disappointed.
The Indian Athletics Federation had high expectations from her in the Paris Olympics but she could not even qualify for the finals. During this period, doping also did not leave Indian athletics. The World Anti-Doping Agency ranked India as the second worst country after Russia in its 10-year global study of positive doping cases. Among the stars who disappointed the country was 2016 Olympic participant Nirmala Sheoran, who was banned for eight years for her second dope violation.
The International Federation’s Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has imposed a 12-year ban on wire throw athlete Rachna Kumari for failing multiple dope tests. Long distance runner G Lakshmanan and sprinter Himani Chandel were banned for two and four years respectively. Rising javelin thrower DP Manu tested positive in the first dope test ahead of the Paris Olympics while former national record holder in race walk Bhavana Jat was banned for 16 months for not reporting her whereabouts.
Middle distance runner Parvez Khan, who made headlines with his performances in the NCAA circuit in the US, and Asian Games four-time 400m relay gold winner VK Vismaya also failed the dope test.
Some new national records were also made this year. Sable set a new national record by clocking 8:09.91 seconds in the men’s 3000m steeplechase during the Paris Diamond League. Akshdeep Singh (men’s 20km walk), Gulveer Singh (men’s 5,000m and 10,000m), KM Diksha (women’s 1500m), and Abha Khatua (women’s shot put) were also among the players who performed well in their respective events. Made national records.
Disclaimer: Prabhasakshi has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.