In the qualifying round of the 2023 World Athletics Championships held in Budapest, Hungary, India's Neeraj Chopra clinched victory in Group A and secured his place in the men's javelin throw final.

Neeraj Chopra, who was competing in somewhat challenging weather conditions, marked his first attempt on Sunday with a season-best throw of 88.77 meters, directly earning his spot in the upcoming final. The automatic qualifying mark was 83.00 meters. The 25-year-old Indian athlete opted not to take his next two attempts.

With a distance of 88.77 meters, Neeraj Chopra has also surpassed the entry standard for the Paris 2024 Olympics in the javelin throw category. Track and field athletes had until July 1, 2023, to qualify for the Olympics to be held in Paris in 2024.

For the next summer games, the entry standard for men's javelin throw competition is 85.50 meters.

Meeting the entry standard is just one step in the qualification process for the Olympics. The selection of athletes for the ANOC team in 2024's Paris Olympics is ultimately dependent on the National Olympic Committees.

Neeraj Chopra holds India's national record in javelin throw. He was the champion in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and won a silver medal in the 2022 World Championships. In May, the Indian javelin thrower displayed his season's best performance with 88.67 meters at the Doha Diamond League.

After qualifying for the final, Neeraj Chopra commented, "During the warm-up, I had some good throws, and I was hopeful of progressing from the first round."

"I haven't competed in many events this year because I wanted to avoid injuries before this tournament. In the World Championship final on Sunday, I will give it my all."

In the Group B, India's Manu Deepi, who clinched a silver medal in the Asian Championships in Bangkok last month with a throw of 81.31 meters, secured the third spot. In his second attempt, the 23-year-old Indian javelin thrower delivered his best performance. He began with a throw of 78.10 meters and aimed for a distance of 72.40 meters afterward.

After the completion of Group B, Manu Deepi's qualification will be confirmed, which is expected to take place later.

"I wanted to cross the 85-meter mark. I wasn't thinking about the result; instead, I was focused on setting a new record for myself."

"I believe that today's performance was influenced by the fact that I didn't have a good warm-up before the match. After completing all three throws, Manu Deepi said, "Let's see what happens in Group B and then in the final."

European champion and world number 2 Julian Weber secured the second spot in Group A after Neeraj Chopra with a throw of 82.39 meters in his second attempt.

Current world champion Anderson Peters had a tough day and could manage only 78.49 meters with his best throw. He's currently in the seventh position.

Later, in Group B, Pakistan's South Asian Games winner Arshad Nadeem will be participating, competing against India's Keshorn Jen