Welcome to Neeraj Chopra’s Olympic Title Defence!

Greetings to all and welcome to live coverage on Olympics.com of the Paris 2024 Olympics men’s javelin throw finals, taking place at the Stade de France in Paris, France. Neeraj Chopra, who made history as India’s second individual Olympic gold medallist, is back to defend his title against a formidable lineup of 12 competitors.

The men’s javelin throw final at the Paris 2024 Olympics is set to begin at 11:55 PM  today.

Neeraj Chopra clinched the gold medal in this event at Tokyo 2020 just over three years ago. The 26-year-old secured his victory with a remarkable 87.58m throw in the javelin final.


Neeraj became only the second Indian, after Abhinav Bindra, to win an individual Olympic gold medal, and remains the only track and field athlete from independent India to achieve this feat at the Summer Games.

Since then, he has added to his accolades by becoming a world champion, a Diamond League winner, and successfully defending his Asian Games title in Hangzhou. Neeraj also claimed the Commonwealth title in 2018.

Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is set to lead India’s 29-member athletics squad at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics.

Athletics at Paris 2024 begins on August 1 with race walking, followed by the track and field events starting on August 2.

Neeraj Chopra made history at Tokyo 2020 by becoming the first Indian to win an Olympic medal in athletics, clinching gold in the men’s javelin throw.


Joining Neeraj in the javelin throw event in Paris will be Olympic debutant Kishore Jena. The duo secured gold and silver medals, respectively, at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year.

In addition to Neeraj Chopra, seven other athletes from the current team competed in Tokyo three years ago: Annu Rani, Avinash Sable, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Priyanka Goswami, Muhammed Anas, Amoj Jacob, and Subha Venkatesan.

One notable change in the athletics programme is the introduction of the mixed marathon race walk relay, replacing the men’s 50km race walk event from Tokyo 2020. For India, Suraj Panwar will compete in the mixed marathon event alongside Priyanka Goswami.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, athletics will feature 48 medal events across three categories: track and field, road running, and race walking.

All athletics events will be hosted across four venues: Pont d'Iéna for race walking, Hôtel de Ville and Les Invalides for the marathon start and finish, and Stade de France for track and field events.

A strong 29-member Indian athletics contingent, including reigning men’s javelin throw champion Neeraj Chopra, is set to compete across 16 medal events at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Athletics events at Paris 2024 will commence on August 1 and conclude on August 11, with medals being awarded in 48 different events.

All track and field events will take place at the iconic Stade de France, while the race walk events will be held at Pont d'Iéna. The marathon races will begin at the Hôtel de Ville and finish at Les Invalides.

Paris 2024 represents a crucial moment for Indian athletics.

Neeraj Chopra’s historic javelin throw gold at Tokyo 2020 marked India’s first-ever Olympic medal in athletics. To maintain the momentum initiated in Japan three years ago, a strong performance in France is essential.


Neeraj will return to Paris to defend his title. Since his Tokyo triumph, he has secured the Diamond League title in 2022, an Asian Games gold in 2023, and enters the upcoming Olympics as the reigning world champion in his event.

Joining Neeraj in the men’s javelin competition will be Kishore Jena, who claimed silver behind Neeraj at the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023. Annu Rani will also aim for a podium finish in the women’s javelin throw after her gold medal in Hangzhou.

The Indian athletics contingent for Paris 2024 includes 11 runners for the men’s and women’s relay events.

Returning from India’s Tokyo 2020 squad are Neeraj Chopra, Annu Rani, steeplechase ace Avinash Sable, shot put national record holder Tajinderpal Singh Toor, race walker Priyanka Goswami, and relay runners Muhammed Anas, Amoj Jacob, and Subha Venkatesan.

Muhammed Anas, a key member of the men’s 4x400m relay team, will be making his third consecutive Olympic appearance.

Among the debutants, hurdler Jyothi Yarraji and steeplechaser Parul Chaudhary will be ones to watch.

Jyothi claimed gold at the Asian Athletics Championships and silver at the Asian Games last year, while Parul won the women’s 3000m steeplechase gold and 5000m silver at the Asian Championships before reversing the medal order in Hangzhou.

Notably, Parul is the only Indian athlete competing in two individual events at Paris 2024.

Priyanka Goswami will represent India in the women’s 20km race walk and will team up with Suraj Panwar for the newly introduced race walk mixed marathon event.

With three athletes, India will have a strong presence in the men’s 20km race walk. Jumpers Jeswin Aldrin, Abdulla Aboobacker, and Praveen Chithravel also aim to make an impact.

The Indian contingent for Paris consists of 18 men and 11 women, participating in eight men’s and eight women’s events. The race walk marathon will be the only mixed team event.

Paris 2024 Olympics: Indian Athletics Squad

Men:

  • Avinash Sable (3000m steeplechase)
  • Neeraj Chopra (javelin throw)
  • Kishore Jena (javelin throw)
  • Tajinderpal Singh Toor (shot put)
  • Praveen Chithravel (triple jump)
  • Abdulla Aboobacker (triple jump)
  • Sarvesh Kushare (high jump)
  • Akshdeep Singh (20km race walk)
  • Vikash Singh (20km race walk)
  • Paramjeet Singh Bisht (20km race walk)
  • Muhammed Anas (4x400m relay)
  • Muhammed Ajmal (4x400m relay)
  • Amoj Jacob (4x400m relay)
  • Santhosh Kumar Tamilarasan (4x400m relay)
  • Rajesh Ramesh (4x400m relay)
  • Mijo Chacko Kurian (4x400m relay)
  • Suraj Panwar (race walk mixed marathon)
  • Jeswin Aldrin (long jump)

Women:

  • Kiran Pahal (400m)
  • Parul Chaudhary (3000m steeplechase and 5000m)
  • Jyothi Yarraji (100m hurdles)
  • Annu Rani (javelin throw)
  • Jyothika Sri Dandi (4x400m relay)
  • Subha Venkatesan (4x400m relay)
  • Vithya Ramraj (4x400m relay)
  • MR Poovamma (4x400m relay)
  • Prachi (4x400m relay)
  • Priyanka Goswami (20km race walk and race walk mixed marathon)
  • Ankita Dhyani (5000m).