India logged a 1-2 finish in the Asian Games 2023 men’s javelin throw competition with Neeraj Chopra winning the gold and Kishore Kumar Jena bagging the silver at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Park Main Stadium, in the People’s Republic of China on Wednesday.
After his first throw was chalked off due to technical issues at the venue, Neeraj Chopra managed a season’s best of 88.88m with his fourth attempt to successfully defend his Asian Games crown. This was the Indian javelin ace’s second gold medal at the continental meet after topping the podium at Jakarta 2018.
The surprise of the night, however, turned out to be Kishore Kumar Jena, who not only won his first major international medal at Hangzhou but also reset his personal best not once but twice on the same night.
Kishore Kumar Jena, who briefly led Neeraj in the Hangzhou 2023 men’s javelin throw standings, registered 86.77m with his third throw to surpass his previous personal best of 84.77m, logged at the Budapest world championships earlier this year. He went on to improve it to 87.54m with his fourth throw, which eventually won him the silver medal in Hangzhou.
Japan’s Roderick Genki Dean took the bronze with an 82.68m mark, which came in his fifth throw.
