Mumbai, Jan 11: India’s Paris Olympics silver medallist Neeraj Chopra has been named the best male javelin thrower in the world in 2024 by globally-renowned American magazine ‘Track and Field News’.The 27-year-old Chopra, who was beaten by Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem for the Olympic gold medal in August last year, pipped two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada for the top spot in the 2024 rankings published by the California-based magazine.
Nadeem was ranked fifth as he competed in only one event in 2024 besides the Olympic Games where he came up with a monster throw of 92.97m as against 89.45m of Chopra. He finished fourth in Paris Diamond League.
Founded in 1948, the magazine, which claims itself to be ‘The Bible Of The Sport’, publishes world and American rankings every year. The magazine is considered an authority in global track and field circles.
Chopra was also the top-ranker in the men’s javelin throw rankings of 2023.
He did not win any Diamond League event in 2024, finishing second in Doha, Lausanne and Brussels. His only major win last year was at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland.
“Reigning leader Neeraj Chopra vs. 2022’s winner Anderson Peters for the top spot was likewise not clear-cut. Chopra didn’t score any DL wins, but was at 3ā2 narrowly ahead of Peters,” the magazine wrote.
“Peters, for his part, picked up a trio of DL wins. Razor-thin edge to the Indian for his better Paris placing,” it added.
Peters, also 27, had finished third behind Nadeem and Chopra in Paris Olympics. He had won three DL events in 2024 — in Lausanne, Zurich and Brussels.
Regarding Nadeem, the magazine wrote: “What do you do with an Olympic gold medallist who had only one other meet, and finished 4th in that one?
“Thus it was decided that Arshad Nadeem could be no higher than No. 5 even though he climbed to No 6 on the all-time list.”