'There was a lot of crowd, and there was a lot of support.'
Former Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra won gold at his eponymous javelin competition on Saturday at Bengaluru's Kanteerava Stadium, registering a dominant victory with a throw of 86.18 metres in the first round.
The Neeraj Chopra Classic, India's first world-class field event, featured an elite lineup, including Kenya's Julius Yego, Germany's Thomas Rohler and Chopra himself alongside domestic throwers.
Chopra, who earned gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and silver at the 2024 Paris Games, dominated throughout, following his winning effort with throws of 84.07m and 82.22m in subsequent rounds as more than 14,500 spectators cheered for their home favourite.
"I didn't expect such a crowd and support in the first season. I want to thank AFI (Athletics Federation of India) and World Athletics for providing us with world-class competition," Chopra told reporters.
"This is a big thing for our country. We were able to do well and I wish we can continue to add more events to the competition."
Former world champion Yego claimed silver with 84.51m, marking a promising performance for the 2016 Rio silver medallist ahead of September's World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage secured bronze with a throw of 84.34m, continuing his upward trajectory after entering the 85m club at the 2024 Asian Throwing Championships in Korea.
Chopra staged a dramatic comeback after a foul in the opening throw, recovering to post his winning 86.18m effort that proved unbeatable throughout the competition.
"The last few days have been hard for me. It also made me feel a bit weird that the competition is in my name. I am happy that I can keep the medal and trophy from the first edition at home," he said.
Neeraj recalled that during the Doha Diamond League, he got a "lot of headwinds", which made throws difficult, and it was the same case in Bengaluru.
"Technically, I made a mistake in the starting (starting off with a foul throw). I was going to the left. My coach told me to throw straight. There was a little technical problem. But it was good. I thought I could throw better. But I am happy that I won in the first edition. My biggest target was to make this competition successful," he added.
Neeraj felt that after two or three throws, he felt good and felt that one of his 84-m something throws was an 87-88 m throw.
"But if there is more wind and there is more height, then it stops the javelin. If I had thrown a little more, then it would have been 87-88 metres," he added.
"But there was a lot of crowd, and there was a lot of support. There was a pressure when I was on the runway and was throwing. In the first throw, I was very enthusiastic and ran and threw.
My coach, Jan Zelezny, showed me the video and told me to stay relaxed," he added.
The 12-athlete field saw only eight participants advance to the second round after three initial attempts.
In a shocking upset, former Olympic champion Rohler failed to progress after managing just one valid attempt in the first round.
Chopra said he hoped to stage the event again next year, with more international and domestic athletes.
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