By Nick Mulvenney
TOKYO (Reuters) -Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott clinched his first global title since he claimed Olympic gold as a teenager in 2012 when he won the men’s javelin final at the world championships with a throw of 88.16m on Thursday.
The 32-year-old dominated the competition in a blustery breeze at the National Stadium, producing the two longest throws of the evening to secure a first world championship medal to add to his 2012 gold and the bronze he won at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
In a good night for the Caribbean, Grenada’s Anderson Peters finished second with a throw of 87.38m to add a silver medal to the golds he won at the 2019 and 2022 world championships.
Bronze went to Curtis Thompson, who sent his opening throw 86.67m to win a first world championship medal for the United States in the event since Breaux Greer in 2007.
There was no fairytale return to the site of his 2021 Olympic triumph for India’s defending champion Neeraj Chopra, who got nowhere near the 90.23m he threw earlier this season as he struggled to a best attempt of 84.03m and finished eighth.
Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, who has spent much of the season injured, also had a disappointing evening and finished 10th with a best throw of 82.75m.
Sachin Yadav restored pride for India with a personal best of 86.27m on his first attempt to finish fourth ahead of Julian Weber.
The German was another title contender who failed to fire as he managed only a best throw of 86.11m, well short of the world-leading 91.51m he recorded at the Diamond League final in Zurich last month.
Kenya’s 36-year-old Julius Yego, the 2015 world champion, turned his ankle on his third attempt and failed to finish the competition.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Ed Osmond)
Comments