The Paavo Nurmi Games are won by Neeraj Chopra: Neeraj goes above and beyond at the crucial stopover in Finland on the way to Paris

His last competition before the Paris Olympics, the Paris Diamond League event in early July, looks promising as he threw a nearly 86-meter victory

Neeraj Chopra’s signature celebration entails turning to face the crowd, lifting his arms, and jubilating after waiting for the javelin to commence its downward journey. An unblinking declaration even prior to the javelin striking the green area. This occurs when he instinctively recognizes that it’s a big throw. Once this occurs, his competitors frequently have to make up lost ground.

Chopra raised his arms in the air after releasing the javelin in the third round on a chilly Turku evening. This time, he followed the 800-gram spear until it touched down instead of looking back. Oliver Helander of Finland, one of the three homeboys competing in the Paavo Nurmi Games, lost the lead to Neeraj with a distance of 85.97 meters.

Neeraj accomplished what Neeraj does best when he returns to competition after missing the Ostrava Golden Spike event due to an adductor muscle ache (not an injury, despite his insistence). Neeraj performed well enough to win. The sequence of throws that included 83.62m, 83.45, 85.97, 82.21, X, and 82.97 was steady. His last competition before the Paris Olympics, the Paris Diamond League event in early July, looks promising as he threw a nearly 86-meter victory.

Nevertheless, toward the conclusion of the competition, there was a head shake and a tightened lip that pointed upward. Maybe the final two rounds made him a little grumpy. Perhaps he thought the throw would be better; he might not have been satisfied with the release angle.

Three possible competitors at the Olympics in Paris either withdrew or did not enter, so maybe he had to exert more effort than he had anticipated to win.

This was not an easy day for Neeraj, even though 2022 World Champion Anderson Peters was not having a good day. The Finns were fighting hard. Helander dropped to third position in the fourth round as another Finnish thrower, Toni Keränen, moved up to second place with a personal best 84.19 meters. Chopra had to be on the lookout for the two Finns who were left with two rounds to go.

Neeraj was going to have to throw farther in order to gain some distance from the enthusiastic Finns, and a strong turnout would support this decision. However, the javelin only just made it over the 80-meter line due to excessive elevation and a sharp decrease in altitude. Neeraj scowled and deliberately fouled by stepping on the line.

Apart from Neeraj, the only athlete to produce a valid throw in the final round was the 20-year-old German wunderkid Max Dehning, who was also the youngest to throw over 90 meters with a lackluster performance of 79.84 meters.

Neeraj’s competitive spirit persisted to the very end. He gestured for the onlookers to give him a hearty round of applause.

After yelling, he inhaled deeply. He increased up speed on the runway to the applause of Helander, Dehning, and others. His second-best throw of the day, measuring 82.97 meters, appeared on the screen. He made all six of his throws without showing any signs of pain.

Turku was a crucial stopover for Neeraj, with the Paris Olympics just over a month away. His final competition was the Federation Cup in Bhubaneshwar, which was not originally scheduled for him. Tuesday was a major improvement for him because he skipped his previous two efforts and won gold with 82.27 meters. He took part in the Diamond League four days after it was held in Bhubaneshwar. A week later, he announced that he will not be attending the Ostrava meet in order to avoid taking any chances.

Neeraj had a great start to the season with an 88.36 meters at the Doha Diamond League in May. With four titles under his belt, the reigning champion will head into the Olympics in Paris. In Turku, he once again demonstrated his ability to secure a victory even while not at his peak. Even though the 26-year-old Indian superstar did not make a massive throw at the Paavo Nurmi Games, that victory is still significant in and of itself.