Neeraj Chopra wins Gold in Paavo Nurmi Games 2024

India's Olympic and world champion javelin throw star Neeraj Chopra claimed his maiden gold medal at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland on Tuesday, dominating a stellar field on his return to competitive action following a month-long break.Chopra, who claimed the silver here in 2022, produced the winning effort of 85.97m in his third attempt to lead the field for a major part of the competition.The Indian proved himself heads and shoulders above much-hyped 19-year-old German prodigy Max Dehning, who came here as the youngest member of the 90m club but finished a disappointing seventh in the eight-strong field.

Look at that javelin fly

’s @Neeraj_chopra1 continues on his road to Paris after a javelin throw of 85.79m at the @paavonurmigames #ContinentalTourGold pic.twitter.com/3kRebtTk4Y

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) June 18, 2024

Germany's Max Dehning could have posed a challenge for Neeraj Chopra in the event. The 19-year-old stormed into the headlines when he joined the elusive 90m throw club this year with a throw of 90.61m earlier in the year. But he was out of touch in Finland. Dehning managed his best throw of 79.84m in the first attempt out of his three legal throws. He finished seventh in the eight-man field. Apart from Dehning, two-time Anderson Peters was also in the fray to challenge for the Gold medal. But he was also not at his best, managing a top throw of 82.58m and finishing fourth. After Chopra, Finland's Keränen and Helander won the Silver and Bronze with throws of 84.19m and 83.96m, respectively.