Neeraj Chopra was unable to secure a one-and-done qualification—something he has routinely achieved at major championships throughout his career. In fact, none of the 16 competitors managed to breach the automatic qualification mark as strong winds and chilly 18°C conditions made life difficult at Glasgow's Scotstoun Stadium on Thursday evening.
Competing in his first major event since a lengthy injury lay-off, Chopra looked comfortable but could not produce a big throw. The two-time Olympic medallist eventually progressed to the final, though only after requiring two attempts.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games champion opened with a modest throw of 76.28m before improving to 79.61m on his second attempt. Chopra was placed ninth after his opening throw but climbed to fifth with his second effort, with the Indian wearing a skull cap to cope with the cold conditions.
Confident that his second throw had secured qualification, Chopra opted not to take his third and final attempt.
Joining Chopra in the final were fellow Indians Rohit Yadav, who recently registered a personal best of 87.05m to qualify for the Asian Games, and Yash Vir Singh.
It marks the first time in Commonwealth Games history that three Indian athletes have qualified for the men's javelin final.
Reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan finished seventh with a best throw of 78.63m.
The Tokyo and Paris Olympic gold medallists, Chopra and Arshad, are both still working their way back to peak form following lengthy injury lay-offs after last year's World Championships disappointment. They will hope to raise their level in the final, which begins at 12:45 am IST on Saturday. Chopra returned to competition at last month's Doha Diamond League, where he missed the podium while showing signs of rust.
HOW THE WIND MADE CONDITIONS CHALLENGING
Speaking after qualification, Chopra explained why the conditions proved so difficult, saying the wind kept changing direction throughout the competition.
With the throwing area at Scotstoun Stadium exposed on one side, athletes had to contend with relentless and unpredictable gusts.
"The conditions were not the best for javelin throwers. It was not only cold but also windy. And the wind was coming from all directions. It was really hard to assess which side it will come from. And lots of throwers were struggling today, no automatic qualification," Chopra said.
"It was difficult to keep ourselves warm also. We were trying to understand the conditions during the warm-up throws, but nobody was able to decode. The athletes put in a lot of effort, but the wind dictated terms. A lot of them will be unhappy today because I don't think anyone would be satisfied with their throw," he added.
RUMESH TOPS QUALIFYING
Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage, who has enjoyed a remarkable season and boasts a personal best of 92.62m, topped the qualification standings with a throw of 82.84m. The gold medal favourite sealed qualification with his opening attempt and chose not to return for his remaining throws.
"I am really happy that I qualified and I will try for gold tomorrow. This seems to be my lucky year," the Sri Lankan said.
Former world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada finished second with a best effort of 81.29m.
South Africa's Douw Smit and England's Ben East also impressed, both surpassing the 80m mark to qualify comfortably.
Only four athletes managed throws beyond 80m on a qualification day dominated by difficult weather conditions.
Reigning world champion Keshorn Walcott scraped into the final in 11th place with a best effort of 78.26m, narrowly avoiding elimination from the top 12.
Meanwhile, former Commonwealth Games champion and Olympic medallist Julius Yego of Kenya missed out on the 12-man final after recording only 74.50m to finish 13th.
Pakistan's Muhammad Yasir also failed to qualify despite producing a season's best throw of 74.35m.
