Neeraj Chopra doesn't need an introduction anymore. The 25-year-old from Khandra, Haryana has become a household name by the sheer dint of his performances at the global track and field stage. Neeraj has set such high standards for himself that wherever he goes, anything short of gold seems like a disappointment. And hence when he takes the field at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Wednesday, not just him but everyone around him would be expecting his first-place finish. Neeraj's blockbuster rivalry with Arshad Nadeem — with whom he is very friendly off the field — was building up as one of the most exciting sub-plots of the Games, but with news trickling in of Nadeem pulling out from the event due to a knee injury, that face-off will unfortunately not materialize. (Medal Tally | Schedule | Full Coverage | Sports News)
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Nevertheless, Nadeem's pull-out means that Neeraj is now a hot favourite to defend his 2018 Jakarta Games title, and add to India's growing tally of gold medals. Neeraj's main competition will now be from Japanese throwers Roderick Genki Dean and Yuta Sakiyama, and also Haoran Hu and Heqing Niu from China.
Barring any massive surprises, if Neeraj goes anywhere near his season's best of 88.77m, the gold is there for the taking. The world champion would be eager to join his women's counterpart Annu Rani among the shining list of 2023 Asiad gold medallists.
Neeraj will be accompanied in the men's javelin final by compatriot Kishore Kumar Jena, who has emerged as a solid number 2 to the 25-year-old. Kishore has been doing really well this year, coming up slowly but steadily and being consistent with his distances. The 28-year-old Kishore has also showed that he can deliver at the big stage, by coming up with his personal best of 84.77m at his maiden World Championships appearance in September, where he stood fifth.
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Here are all the key details for the men's javelin final event at the Asian Games 2023 scheduled for Wednesday, October 4, 2023:
When will the men's javelin final event be held?
The event will start at 4:35pm IST on October 4.
Where will the event be held?
The event will be held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in Hangzhou, China.
Where can we watch the event on TV?
The event will be telecast on the Sony Sports Network.
Where can we live stream the match?
The event will be live streamed on the SonyLiv app and website.
