Neeraj Chopra strikes silver; India's javelin thrower wins second Olympic medal

PARIS: India's Neeraj Chopra was unable to retain his gold medal as he finished second with a best throw of 89.45 meters in the men's javelin throw at the Paris Olympics on Thursday. Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan took home the gold with a throw of 92.97 meters, smashing the previous Olympic record set by Andreas Thorkildsen of Denmark in Beijing in 2008. With a throw of 88.54 meters, Anderson Peters of Grenada won bronze.

With the silver medal win, India's total medal count at the Paris Olympics has risen to five, coming on the back of a bronze medal victory in men's hockey earlier.

Chopra struggled and missed four straight foul throws, which kept him from taking home the gold. His best throw came on his second attempt. Nevertheless, Neeraj Chopra made history becoming the second male athlete to win two Olympic medals in a single event after independence. His first and third attempts were invalidated by red flags, and his final three attempts were also fouls.

Despite his strong performance in the qualification round, where he threw 89.34 meters, Chopra could not surpass his season best in the final. His 89.45-meter throw was his second-best performance but not enough to retain his gold.

Nadeem's performance included a final attempt of 91.79 meters, demonstrating his dominance in the event. On his second try, Nadeem hit a throw of 92.97m to win gold in the men's javelin throw final. Nadeem was in full form as he crossed the 90m mark in his sixth attempt. He touched 91.79m on his sixth try.