Javelin thrower Annu Rani finishes seventh in World Championships

Defending champion Kelsey-Lee Barber of Australia won the gold

India's Annu Rani finished seventh in the women's javelin throw final with a below-par effort of 61.12m at the World Championships here.

Competing in her second consecutive final in the showpiece, Rani achieved her best of the day in her second attempt, but failed to cross the 60m mark in other five throws on Friday.

Her series read 56.18m, 61.12m, 59.27m, 58.14m, 59.98m and 58.70m. The 29-year-old has a season's and personal best of 63.82m. A personal best effort would have handed Rani a medal but it was not to be as she struggled in her campaign in the showpiece.

The national record holder had qualified for the final as eighth best in the qualification round with a throw of 59.60m.

Defending champion Kelsey-Lee Barber of Australia won the gold with a best and world leading throw of 66.91m. American Kara Winger took the silver with a last round effort of 64.05m, while Japan's Haruka Kitaguchi of Japan won a surprise bronze with her best throw of 63.27m.

Olympic champion Shiying Liu of China was fourth with a best performance of 63.25m.

This was Rani's third appearance in the showpiece. She had finished eighth in the finals with a best throw of 61.12m in the last edition in 2019 in Doha. She could not qualify for the finals in 2017 in London after finishing 10th in her qualification group.