Neeraj Chopra in the javelin at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (© Getty Images)
The men’s javelin final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, due to take place on Thursday (8), is going to be monumental. The big beasts of the event came out and roared in the Stade de France on Tuesday (6) and the dispute for the spoils is going to be ferocious.
India’s defending champion and world champion Neeraj Chopra looked in supreme form as he required just one throw to advance – the top mark of 89.34m, just 60cm off his personal best, and the second-best qualifying throw at an Olympics after the 89.39m registered by Jan Zelezny at the Sydney 2000 Games.
Grenada’s 2019 and 2022 world champion Anderson Peters was also impressive as his first throw went out to 88.63m.
A single effort of 87.76m saw Germany’s European silver medallist Julian Weber through, and the same went for Czechia’s European champion Jakub Vadlejch, whose 85.63m bettered the qualification mark by 63cm.
Kenya’s 2015 world champion and 2016 Olympic silver medallist Julius Yego also bettered that mark with his third effort of 85.97m, and a personal best of 85.27m saw Finland’s Toni Keranen through.
Pakistan’s world silver medallist Arshad Nadeem produced the fourth best effort of the morning, 86.59m, and Brazil’s Luiz Da Silva advanced with a South American record of 85.91m.
While Chopra sailed through, another defending Olympic champion, Germany’s Malaika Mihambo, was in severe jeopardy after fouling with the first two of her three qualifying efforts in the women’s long jump, with her foot being 20cm over the board on her second effort.
But her third jump of 6.86m saw her through to Thursday’s final in convincing fashion.
However there was no progress for Serbia’s world champion Ivana Spanovic, whose best of 6.51m was only enough for 16th place.
World silver medallist and world indoor champion Tara Davis-Woodhall produced the top mark of 6.90m, with Larissa Iapichino advancing with 6.87m and Nigeria’s Esa Brume recording 6.76m.
The women’s 1500m heats took place minus Ireland’s European champion Ciara Mageean, who had announced the day before that she had been unable to recover from an achilles tendon injury.
Top qualifier in 3:58.84 was Ethiopia’s world 10,000m champion Gudaf Tsegay, who had finished ninth in the previous evening’s 5000m final, during which she had been involved in a mid-race tussle with Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon that initially led to the latter being disqualified before being reinstated to silver-medal position.
Tsegay also plans to contest Friday’s 10,000m final.
Second fastest was Britain’s Olympic silver medallist Laura Muir in 3:58.91. Tsegay’s compatriot Diribe Welteji won her heat in 3:59.73 with Kipyegon, the defending champion, coming in two places behind her in 4:00.74.
For Freddie Crittenden of the United States, Plan B worked out perfectly in the 110m hurdles repechage. After feeling a muscle twinge before his heat, the 30-year-old, who finished fourth at last year’s World Championships, went through the motions to reach the other end safely in the hope that he would be properly recovered when it came to his second chance to progress.
It turned out to be a good call as he won his heat in 13.42, with Spain’s 2022 world bronze medallist Asier Martinez taking the second qualifying place for tomorrow’s semi-finals in 13.46.
There was much celebration from another full morning session as two home athletes, Wilhem Belocian and Raphael Mohamed, also progressed.
Gabby Scott of Puerto Rico qualified for tomorrow’s 400m semi-finals emphatically, taking the one automatic place in a national record of 50.52 in a heat where last place went to defending champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo of The Bahamas.
“In all, I just give God all my thanks and praise, just to allow me to come to the line,” said Miller-Uibo, who became a mother last year. “It’s been a pretty tough season with injuries. Just to be able to come out here and finish the race is something I’m very proud of.
“I’ve been through a lot of tribulations this season. I had surgery, and was able to bounce back. I’m a tough one and I wasn’t going to let it go just like that. I came out here to try to defend my title.
“My body’s a lot stronger after having a baby. It’s pretty hard to explain, but you feel that extra strength there. The injury just got the better of me this year, but it’s OK, I’ll come back stronger next season.”
The other qualifiers were Kendall Ellis of the United States, Ella Onojuvwevwo of Nigeria, Britain’s Victoria Ohuruogu, Miranda Coetzee of South Africa and Czechia’s Lurdes Gloria Manuel.
Those who returned to the fray via the men’s 400m hurdles repechage were Trevor Bassitt of the United States, Emil Agyekum of Germany, Carl Bengstrom of Sweden, Gerald Drummond of Costa Rica, Berke Akcam of Turkey and Joshua Abuaka of Germany.
The men’s 200m repechage saw progress for Nigeria’s Udodi Onwuzurike, Brendon Rodney of Canada, Ryan Zeze of France and Eric Erlandsson of Sweden as heat winners.
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics
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