Neeraj Chopra Takes Ostrava Title But Remains Critical of Performance

Neeraj Chopra secured victory at the Ostrava Golden Spike event, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold competition, with a throw of 85.29m. However, the Olympic champion expressed dissatisfaction with his performance, despite claiming the title in his debut at the meet.

Chopra's winning throw came in the third round, after fouling his first attempt and recording 83.45m in his second. He led the field of nine athletes.

"I am not that happy with my performance today, but I am very happy with the trophy I won," said Chopra. "I used to watch this meeting a lot as a kid. I watched people like Jan Zelezny and Usain Bolt winning the Golden Spike and I dreamt of winning one as well. Now the dream has come true."

His subsequent throws were 82.17m and 81.01m, with a foul in the final round. "I know the javelin throw is very popular in Czechia. The amount of support we were getting from the crowd was crazy. I just wish I could have performed better for them," Chopra added. He had previously exceeded the 90m mark at the Doha Diamond League in May, where he finished second.

The 27-year-old is maintaining strong form this season, fresh off a Diamond League win in Paris just days before the Ostrava meet. Chopra's next competition is scheduled for July 5 at the NC Classic in Bengaluru, where he is set to compete against Anderson Peters and Thomas Rohler.

Despite not meeting his personal expectations, particularly in front of the enthusiastic crowd, Chopra's effort was enough to secure the coveted Golden Spike title.

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