Neeraj Chopra beats Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem to be named world’s best male javelin thrower of 2024 by US magazine

Neeraj Chopra, who won a silver medal for India at the Paris Olympics, has been recognized as the best male javelin thrower in the world for 2024 by the esteemed American magazine Track and Field News.

At 27 years old, Chopra just missed out on Olympic gold in August, finishing behind Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem. However, he managed to outshine the two-time world champion Anderson Peters from Grenada to claim the top position in the highly regarded rankings published by the California-based magazine.

Nadeem, who only competed in one event in 2024 besides the Olympics, was ranked fifth. Even though his Olympic throw of 92.97 meters exceeded Chopra's 89.45 meters, Nadeem ended up in fourth place at the Paris Diamond League.

More recognition for Neeraj Chopra!

Track & Field News, a renowned US based sports magazine, has honoured @Neeraj_chopra1 as the best Javelin thrower of 2024.

A proud moment for India as he continues to raise the bar!#Sports #IndianSports #NeerajChopra #champion pic.twitter.com/Q6zvjRWG6J

— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) January 10, 2025

Founded in 1948, Track and Field News, often called The Bible of the Sport, publishes annual world and American rankings and is viewed as an authoritative source in the global track and field community. Chopra had previously led the men's javelin throw rankings in 2023.

Even though Chopra didn't manage to win any Diamond League events in 2024, he did come in second place in Doha, Lausanne, and Brussels. His biggest win of the year was at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland. The magazine noted, “Reigning leader Neeraj Chopra vs. 2022’s winner Anderson Peters for the top spot was likewise not clear-cut. Chopra didn’t score any DL wins but was at 3–2, narrowly ahead of Peters.”

Peters, who is also 27 years old, came in third place at the Paris Olympics, right behind Nadeem and Chopra. He managed to snag three wins in the Diamond League in 2024, taking the top spot in Lausanne, Zurich, and Brussels.

Regarding Nadeem, the magazine wrote, “What do you do with an Olympic gold medalist who had only one other meet, and finished 4th in that one? Thus, it was decided that Arshad Nadeem could be no higher than No. 5, even though he climbed to No. 6 on the all-time list.”

Neeraj Chopra is set to be the main attraction at the prestigious world javelin competition set to be held in India, possibly in September. The auspicious announcement was made at the Athletics Association of India (AFI) Annual General Meeting, as announced by outgoing AFI President Adil Sumeriwalla.

Following this landmark achievement, India is gearing up to host the World Games Continental Tour Bronze in Bhubaneswar on August 10. The tournament is particularly significant as it marks India’s return to global sport at a time when international dominance has been suspended after letter contests in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

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