Who is DP Manu? The ace Indian javelin thrower from Karnataka who landed in dope net

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DP Manu, the ace Indian javelin thrower, is aiming to seal the third vacant spot at the forthcoming Paris Olympics 2024 via the World Rankings quota. Notably, the reigning Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra and Odisha's Kishore Jena have already secured their spots for the Games.

Manu, currently ranked 15 in the Road to Paris rankings, was expected to make the cut for Paris 2024. Though his name was initially featured in the start list for the Inter-State National Championships in Panchkula, Haryana, it went missing in the final start list, which raised concerns.

However, the reports now claim that the Karnataka athlete, who hails from Belur, failed his latest dope test and the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has directed the Athletics Federation of India to bar the 24-year-old from participating in any competition. The recent development puts his Paris Olympic dream in jeopardy.

Let's take a look at DP Manu's facts, numbers, and records he has achieved so far in his brief career.

Early days with his coach

Manu has been training under his coach Kashinath Naik since he was 17 years old. Back then, Manu threw around 67m. Though the distance was not a jaw-dropping one, Manu caught Naik's eye.

When Naik first met Manu, he weighed around 73kg. However, now he weighs around 88 kg. The Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune, where Manu trains, has been supportive throughout his journey.

Stealing the spotlight

Interestingly, Manu holds the Inter-State meet record with a throw of 84.35 meters in June 2022, stealing the spotlight. Later, Manu ended in the fifth spot at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in July 2022.

In July 2023, he threw over 81 meters to secure a silver medal at the Asian Athletics Championships. Later, in the 2023 World Athletics Championships in August last year, he qualified for the final with an 81.31m throw. In the final, he threw 84.14m to finish sixth.

Training in South Africa

He headed to the North West University High Performance Centre in Potchefstroom, South Africa in the first week of March 2024 for a 32-day-long training camp. During his stint in Potchefstroom, he competed in various local athletics events.

Three podium finishes in 2024 season

He clinched the gold medal at the Taiwan Athletics Open 2024 tournament in Chinese Taipei in June, recording a distance of 81.58m on his last attempt to take the top spot on the podium.

Interestingly, this was Manu's third podium finish of the season after winning the Indian Grand Prix 1 in April and the Federation Cup recently.

Manu won the men's javelin with an 81.91m heave in the Indian Grand Prix 1 in April. Later, in the Federation Cup, he threw 82.06m to settle for the silver medal behind Neeraj Chopra.

Paris Olympic dream shattered?

After winning multiple medals and finishing on podiums on several occasions in international events, Manu, a Havildar in the army, has big dreams of winning an Olympic medal in the future. The latest dope test failure would mean he would not be allowed to participate in the Paris Olympics. It will be interesting to see what future holds for him from here on.