Asian Games silver medallist and Olympian, Kishore Jena became the latest addition to the Indian line-up at the Neeraj Chopra Classic next month in Bengaluru, the organisers announced on Thursday. India is hosting a first-of-its kind javelin competition in the name of two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra, scheduled to be held on May 24 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.
Hailing from Odisha, Jena came to limelight after grabbing silver in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games with a personal best of 87.54m, behind gold medal winner Neeraj. He had also finished fifth in the World Athletics Championship with a 84.77m throw in 2023.
Jena thus joins other Indians Sachin Yadav, Rohit Yadav, Neeraj and Sahil Silwal in the list at Neeraj Chopra Classic.
Among the overseas stars, two-time World Champion Anderson Peters, Olympic Champion Thomas Roehler, Olympic silver medallist Julius Yego, world leader Curtis Thompson, Japan’s Genki Dean, Brazil’s Luiz Mauricio da Silva and Rumesh Pathirage of Sri Lanka will be a part of the event. The Neeraj Chopra Classic was originally scheduled to take place in Panchkula, but was later shifted to Bengaluru due to an issue with stadium floodlights.
