'Golden boy does it again!' Neeraj Chopra creates new national record, betters own Tokyo Olympics gold throw; Twitter celebrates

India's ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra broke his own national record to set a new one as he threw 89.30 metres, putting him on the second spot in a star-studded field at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland.

Chopra's earlier national record was 88.07m which he had set in Patiala in March last year. On August 7, 2021, he won the Tokyo Olympics gold with a throw of 87.58m.

The competition held on Tuesday was the 24-year-old's first competitive event after his historic gold in the Tokyo Olympics.


Chopra's 89.30m effort at the Paavo Nurmi Games will take him to fifth spot in the world season leaders' list. The Paavo Nurmi Games are named after the legendary Finnish middle and long distance runner. It is a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series event, one of the most prestigious competitions outside the Diamond League Meetings.

The superstar javelin thrower had said in recent media interactions that he would not put himself under pressure with the thought of throwing beyond 90m and would look to build up gradually to peak during the July 15-24 World Championships in Eugene, USA.

As Chopra made the country proud at the competition, several people from including politicians and cricketers took to Twitter to praise the athlete.

Former cricketer Gautam Gambhir congratulated Chopra for setting the new national record.

"The golden boy has done it again! New national record. Great going #NeerajChopra," he wrote.

"You set the bar higher each time you compete," Yuvraj Singh wrote on Twitter.

Union minister Anurag Thakur also congratulated Chopra.