Neeraj Chopra set to compete at Ostrava Golden Spike 2024 athletics meet on May 28

Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, the reigning Olympic and world champion, will be competing at the Ostrava Golden Spike 2024 athletics meet in Czechia on May 28.

The upcoming meet will be the 63rd edition of the Ostrava Golden Spike, which is a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold label event. It will also mark Neeraj Chopra’s third competitive outing of the year.

On the road to defend his Olympic crown at Paris 2024 later this year, Neeraj started his season at the Doha Diamond League on May 11 and finished second with a throw of 88.36m - just 2cm behind eventual winner Jakub Vadlejch, the Tokyo 2020 silver medallist.

Chopra also competed at the Federation Cup athletics meet in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday and took the gold medal in what was his first competitive outing in India since 2021. The Indian javelin ace logged a best throw of 82.27m to take the win ahead of Manu DP at the Kalinga Stadium.

At Ostrava, Neeraj Chopra will be in a tough men’s javelin throw field which also comprises home favourite Vadlejch and Grenada’s Anderson Peters, a former world champion, in the mix. Peters finished third at Doha behind Vadlejch and Neeraj.

Neeraj was initially expected to compete at the 62nd Ostrava Golden Spike athletics meet last year as well but had to pull out due to a muscle injury.

Vadlecjh won the Golden Spike men’s javelin title in 2023 with a modest 81.93m effort.

Barring Neeraj, Vadlejch and Peters, a host of global superstars will also be in action at this year’s Ostrava Golden Spike. The list includes Italy’s Marcell Jacobs, the reigning 100m men’s Olympic champion, Gianmarco Tamberi, the reigning Olympic co-champion in men’s high jump and Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis, a world record holder and Tokyo 2020 gold medallist.

After Ostrava, Neeraj Chopra is expected to stay in Europe as he is listed to compete in the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland on June 18.