Chopra eyes gala win at Golden Spike

Ostrava: Forcedto skip the last two editions due to fitness issues, Indian javelin throw superstar Neeraj Chopra will look to claim the title when he makes his debut at the Golden Spike Athletics meet on Tuesday, an event that his coach Jan Zelezny won nine times in a storied career.

The 27-year-old Chopra has had an impressive season so far, having won his first Diamond League title in two years in Paris after also breaching the elusive 90m mark during his second place finish in Doha DL in May. He was to take part at Golden Spike -- a World Athletics Continental Tour Category A event -- in 2023 and 2024 but had to skip the meet on both occasions.

In 2024, he was present as a guest after opting out of competition due to an adductor muscle niggle. The double Olympic-medallist will be all the more eager to win the title as the Golden Spike was world record holder Zelezny’s happy hunting ground during his playing days. The Czech legend, now 59, won nine titles between 1986 and 2006 -- few of them with 90m-plus throws -- in this prestigious event which was first held in 1961. Chopra has competed in Ostrava in the past but not at Golden Spike.