India's two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra won the Golden Spike title on his debut at Ostrava, Czech Republic. But a win with 85.29 metre throw did not please Chopra as he expected better performance himself at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event on June 24.
"I am not that happy with my performance today, but I am very happy with the trophy I won," said Chopra.
"I used to watch this meeting a lot as a kid. I watched people like Jan Zelezny and Usain Bolt winning the Golden Spike and I dreamt of winning one as well. Now the dream has come true," the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist added.
Chopra was thrilled to perform in front of a packed crowd where javelin creates a buzz. He wanted to perform better for them, especially having breached the 90m mark in Doha Diamond League last month.
Chopra's attempts
Chopra's first throw was a foul. On his second attempt, he threw 83.45, which was lwoer than Smit's second and best attempt. Chopra's fourth and fifth attempts were recorded at 82.17 metre and 81.01 metre. The disappointment was visible on Chopra's face after his final attempt at the 61st edition of the event.
Who finished 2nd and 3rd?
While Chopra finished at top, South Africa's Douw Smit grabbed the second place with a 84.12 metre throw, his personal best. The third place belonged to Grenada's Anderson Peters with a 83.63 metre throw. Had Germany's Julian Weber been there, Chopra may not have won the title.
Chopra's next throw at NC Classic
The 27-year-old will be seen in action again on July 5 at the inaugural edition of NC Classic in Bengaluru. Along with Grenada's Rio Olympics gold medallist, Germany's Thomas Rohler and Kenya's Julius Yego will be participating in the event. For India, there will be four more athletes -- Sachin Yadav, Rohit Yadav, Sahil Silwal and Kishore Jena -- other than Chopra.