Ace Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Wednesday won gold in men's javelin throw at Federation Cup 2024 with a throw of 82.27m in Odisha.
Manu DP, who had been leading the pack in the first three rounds, finished second with a throw of 82.06m follwing fouls in his final attempt. Uttam Patil came 3rd with a throw of 78.39m.
Neeraj had started his season with a silver at the Doha Diamond League a few days back and the Federation Cup was the javelin star's first appearance in an event on Indian soil in 3 years.
Neeraj had last participated in the elite Indian athletics event in 2021, winning the javelin event with a best effort of 87.80m in March that year.
This year's Federation Cup served as an important event for Paris-bound Indian athletes and Reigning Olympic and world champion Neeraj proved his mettle yet again.
After the win, he told reporters, “Was here before the Tokyo Olympics. The staff here had supported me really well. The training facilities here is quite good. Jagannath ji is also here, and his blessings are always with us."