Neeraj Chopra wins season’s first gold in Finland

It is Neeraj Chopra’s first gold this year after the massive 89.30m that bettered his national record earlier this week

Fighting rain and slippery conditions, Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra won the javelin throw gold with his opening effort of 86.69m at the Kuortane Games in Kuortane, Finland, on Saturday.

It was Chopra’s first gold this year after the massive 89.30m that bettered his national record and brought him the silver at the Paavo Nurmi Games at Turku, also in Finland, earlier this week.

The 24-year-old had just one legal throw and it was enough to take him to the gold. Chopra fouled his second attempt and slipped while finishing his next throw and did not attempt his other three throws.

Trinidad and Tobago’s 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott was second with 86.64m while Grenada’s Anderson Peters, the World champion and this year’s World leader with 93.07m, was third with 84.75.

The other Indian in the fray, Sandeep Chaudhary, was eighth and last with 60.35m.