'Kishore Jena Could Breach 90m Javelin Mark Before Me,' Feels Neeraj Chopra

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Kishore Jena had a phenomenal 2023, he began by reaching the final of the World Championships alongside Neeraj Chopra and Manu DP. Later, he clinched a silver medal in the Asian Games with an impressive throw of 87.54m, not only securing the medal but also surpassing the 85.50m mark required for qualification in the Paris Olympics.

On the other hand, Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Neeraj Chopra has won everything in his life: whether it's a gold medal in the Olympics, becoming World Champion, or winning the Diamond League, Neeraj has won it all.

But one thing that has eluded him is breaching the 90m mark. Crossing 90 metres is like scaling Mount Everest. The closest Neeraj came to the target was on 30 June 2022 at the Stockholm Diamond League, where he managed 89.94m, narrowly missing the mark.

Before this, the 26-year-old had also thrown 89.30m at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland and 89.90m at the Lausanne Diamond League, but the magical 90m mark remained elusive.

Today, in a virtual press conference briefing organized by JSW Sports, Neeraj said "It's commendable the way Kishore has shown progress, especially at the big stages like the World Championships and Asian Games, and the way he has improved his distance. I've been stuck between 88-90m since 2018, and the way he is performing, he can breach the 90m mark before me."

Neeraj Chopra is set to kick off his season at the Doha leg of the prestigious Diamond League series on May 10, where he will face tough competition in a star-studded field.

Neeraj, who concluded the previous season with a gold medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, is determined to defend his Olympic gold in Paris later this year. Joining Chopra in Doha will be his compatriot Kishore Jena, for whom this will be his first Diamond League appearance.