Shivam Lohakare Smashes Neeraj Chopra's Meet Record With 84.31m Throw At Inter Services Athletics Championships

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Bengaluru, Sep 8: Rising javelin star Shivam Lohakare from Maharashtra has become the new buzzword in Indian athletics. On Sunday (September 7), the 20-year-old produced a sensational throw of 84.31m at the Inter Services Athletics Championships in Bengaluru, clinching gold and breaking none other than Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra's meet record of 83.80m, set in 2018.

Though the competition is not recognised by World Athletics and the record won't go down officially, Lohakare's feat has already made waves. More importantly, it was his fourth consecutive 80m-plus performance, a consistency that signals India may have found its next big javelin name.

"It means a lot. The coach came running when he saw I had crossed 84m. It was a different feeling, and I had set a new meet record," an emotional Lohakare told myKhel, who has been battling both back and ankle injuries this season. Yet, he has refused to let setbacks stop his momentum.

His rise has been nothing short of a fairytale. In July, he joined the 80m club at Indian Open Athletics Meet in Pune with a massive personal best of 80.95m. A month later, he stunned the field in Bhubaneswar with 80.73m (World Athletics Continental Tour Meet), clinching silver ahead of Asian Championships medalist Sachin Yadav.

In Chennai at the Inter-State meet, he followed it up with 80.20m. And now, in Bengaluru, came the breakthrough that has set tongues wagging 84.31m, the throw that outshone Chopra's record.

"I felt today that I would throw 82m+. It's okay that it won't be recognised; I'll do even better at the Open Nationals in Ranchi," he remarked with calm determination. For him, the focus is already on the future. "Now my range is 84, 83, 82. I can maintain this. Next year, I'll be ready to average 84."

With four consecutive 80m-plus throws, the Asian U-20 Championships silver medalist Lohakare has transformed from a promising youngster into a headline-grabber. If this is just the beginning, India may soon see another javelin thrower soaring on the global stage one who has already started rewriting records back home.