Returning to competition after a month-long break due to an injury, reigning Olympic javelin throw champion Neeraj Chopra secured the gold medal at the 2024 Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland on Tuesday. Neeraj achieved his best throw of 85.97m in his third attempt and led for a significant portion of the event.
Among the competitors was 19-year-old German Max Dehning, who became the youngest to surpass the 90m mark earlier in February. Neeraj improved on his performance from 2022, where he had won a silver medal.
Local favorite Toni Keranen claimed the silver medal with a top throw of 84.19m, while Oliver Helander, the gold medalist from the previous edition, secured third place with 83.96m.
The 26-year-old Chopra returned to competition following a second-place finish in the Doha Diamond League and a gold at the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar last month.
After these two events, Chopra took a break due to feeling “something” in his adductor muscles.
