Data | How good is Neeraj Chopra among his competitors at the Tokyo Olympics?

All eyes will be on Neeraj Chopra when he takes the stage for the men’s javelin throw final at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday, August 7. On August 4, he became the first Indian javelin thrower in history to qualify for the final at the Olympic Games.

Only three of his fellow competitors in the event have thrown the javelin farther than he has in 2021. Two of them were eliminated in the qualification round. He recorded his personal best (PB) throw of 88.07m this year in March, a new national record. The numbers show that he has improved his performance almost every year since 2013. His biggest challenge is Germany’s Johannes Vetter, who has crossed the 90m mark on seven occasions, including many of his recent performances.

Competitor comparison

The chart plots the javelin throws which classed the 80m mark, of athletes who had qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. As many as 11 athletes have thrown the javelin father than Chopra’s PB of 88.07m in their careers. However, only three of them have qualified for the final.

Chopra, who achieved his PB in March this year, stands fourth among his competitors’ best throws if only 2021 is considered. But among them, only Vetter made it to the final. Only five athletes who have qualified for the Olympics have thrown the javelin a distance of 87m or more this year. Vetter and Chopra have done it more than once.

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Steady progress

A look at the best throws of both the Indians who competed in Tokyo shows that Chopra has improved his performance consistently since 2013. Since 2018, his best performance has consistently been above the 87m mark. On the other hand, Shivpal Singh’s best came in 2019 when he achieved a distance of 86.23m.

Serious contender

Chopra’s PB would have been good enough for the Bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The chart depicts his PB and the distances which bagged a medal at the Olympics and World Championships since 2012.

Topping the chart

Chopra topped the qualification round with a throw of 86.65m on August 4. He became the first ever Indian to top the qualification round in track and field events at the Olympic Games. Vetter stood second after achieving a distance of of 85.64m. The chart shows the distance thrown by athletes who qualified for the final.

Also read: Data | How many new Olympic and World records were set in swimming at the Tokyo Olympics?