India’s javelin star Neeraj Chopra began his Olympic title defence with a season-best throw of 89.34 meters in the qualification round at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday. This performance, close to his personal best of 89.94 meters, earned him a direct entry into the final. Chopra will compete for his second consecutive gold in the men’s javelin final on Thursday.
Following Neeraj’s qualification, Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant made an exciting promise on social media. Pant announced on Twitter that if Neeraj wins gold, he will award ₹1,00,089 to a lucky fan who likes and comments on his post. Additionally, the top 10 commenters will receive flight tickets. Pant urged fans to support Neeraj and show their enthusiasm.
Pant's post inspired similar responses from fans, including a parody account of Virat Kohli, which pledged to give ₹50,000 to two lucky fans if Neeraj secures the gold.
Chopra’s qualifying throw was the second-best of his career, surpassing the automatic mark of 84 meters and placing him first in Group B. This performance alleviated concerns about his fitness, following an adductor injury he had been dealing with before the Games. Chopra, also the reigning world champion, led the qualification round with his throw. Anderson Peters of Grenada (88.63 meters) and Julian Weber of Germany (87.76 meters) were the top qualifiers from Group A and B, respectively, while Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem (86.59 meters) also advanced to the final.