How Neeraj Chopra can qualify for Paris 2024 Olympics and defend javelin gold
The Indian javelin throw ace can make the cut for Paris 2024 either by beating the official entry standard or through his world rankings. Know how it works.
Neeraj Chopra may be the reigning Olympic champion in the men’s javelin throw but the Indian ace can hardly take his title defence at Paris 2024 for granted.
At the Olympics, there is no automatic berth for the reigning champions and everyone has to go through the qualification process. Hence, Neeraj Chopra will need to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics first to ensure he can actually defend his gold medal.
While reigning champions failing to qualify for the subsequent Olympics is rare, it’s not unheard of. Legendary long distance runner Mo Farah, for example, failed to make the cut for Tokyo 2020 despite being the two-time defending champion.
Neeraj Chopra, however, is unlikely to suffer the same fate. While Briton Mo Farah was 37 during the Tokyo 2020 qualification period and was coming out of retirement, the Indian javelin thrower, in his mid-twenties, is fit and at the top of his game.
Regardless, here’s how Neeraj Chopra can qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Paris 2024 Olympics qualification pathways
According to the qualification system for athletics competitions at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games published by World Athletics, athletes in individual events, which include men’s javelin throw, will have two pathways to qualify for the upcoming Summer Games.
A total of 50 percent of qualification places will go to athletes who manage to breach the Paris 2024 entry standards for their respective events set by World Athletics within a fixed qualification window. The remaining 50 percent berths will be distributed based on the world rankings before the set cut-off date.
The Paris 2024 Olympic qualification window for men’s javelin throw will run from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
Qualifying standard not a problem for Neeraj Chopra
Meeting the entry standard is the most direct and straightforward way for Neeraj Chopra to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
In fact, Chopra took the same route to qualify for Tokyo 2020 after logging 87.86m at a Potchefstroom athletics meet in South Africa, surpassing the entry standard of 85.00m.
The javelin throw entry standard for Paris 2024 has gone up to 85.50m, which is unlikely to challenge Neeraj Chopra, who has thrown over the mark in almost every event he participated in last year.
Neeraj Chopra’s personal best is 89.94m, a national record, achieved at the Stockholm Diamond League in Sweden on June 30, 2022.
However, to confirm his qualification for Paris 2024, which will be held between August 2 to 11 next year, Neeraj Chopra will need to beat the entry standard within the qualifying period of July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
Only performances at competitions organised or authorised by World Athletics, Area Associations or National Federations (Athletics Federation of India in Neeraj’s case) in conformity with World Athletics rules will be considered.
Barring international competitions, Neeraj Chopra, if he participates, will get his first chance to breach the entry standard on home soil at the National Inter-State Athletics Championships 2023, scheduled to be held in Ranchi, Jharkhand, from July 26 to 30.
Neeraj Chopra is expected to compete at several big international meets, including the Asian Games in September and World Championships in August and will get ample opportunities to beat the Paris 2024 entry standards if he stays fit.
World ranking another qualifying option for Neeraj Chopra
In the unlikely event Neeraj Chopra fails to meet the entry standards for Paris 2024, the javelin thrower will have a second shot at qualification based on his world rankings as of June 30, 2024.
An official qualification monitoring tool, Road to Paris, will be published on the Stats Zone of the World Athletics website in the latter part of 2023.
A total of 32 athletes, a maximum of three from each country, will qualify for the men’s javelin throw event at Paris 2024.