New Delhi, June 28 (H.S.): India’s star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has once again achieved the number 1 position in the Javelin throw world rankings. In the latest ranking released this week on the official website of World Athletics, Neeraj surpassed Grenada’s Anderson Peters to reclaim the top position.Peters had taken the number 1 spot from Neeraj after winning the Diamond League Final in Brussels on September 17 last year. However, through consistent outstanding performances, Neeraj has now regained the lead.

According to the latest ranking, Neeraj holds 1445 points, while Peters is in second place with 1431 points. Germany’s Julian Weber ranks third with 1407 points, and Pakistan’s reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem is in fourth place with 1370 points.27-year-old Neeraj Chopra will defend his title at the World Championships in Tokyo scheduled for September this year. He began this season with a victory at an invitational meet in Potchefstroom, South Africa, in April, where he threw 84.52 meters.In May, he competed in the Doha Diamond League, where he threw 90.23 meters for the first time, marking his career-best throw. However, he finished in second place in that competition, as Julian Weber secured first place with a throw of 91.06 meters.

Next, in the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Chorzów, Poland, Neeraj (84.14 meters) finished behind Weber (86.12 meters). But at the Paris Diamond League, Neeraj made a comeback, winning the gold medal with a throw of 88.16 meters.On Tuesday, he recorded his third win of the season at the Golden Spike Meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic, where he again achieved a distance of 88.16 meters.Neeraj Chopra’s next competition will be the first ‘Neeraj Chopra Classic’ on July 5 at the Sri Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar