There is very less about them out there, know them
A track and field event, javelin-throw involves throwing a javelin, a spear, about 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) in length covering a longer distance. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area, usually a runway 4 m (13 ft) wide and at least 30 m (98 ft) in length that ends in a curved arc from where their javelin throw distance is measured. The javelin throw was added to the Ancient Olympic Games as part of the pentathlon in 708 BC and since then it has been an event for both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon. India too has produced some exceptional javelin-thrower sportspersons. Let’s take a look at a few of them making the nation proud.
Shivpal Singh Sergeant Shivpal Singh, a javelin thrower and a Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (SNCO) in Indian Air Force, has been achieving awards for his sport. In 2016, Singh won the men’s javelin throw event at the Budapest Open athletics in Hungary and finished eighth at the 2018 Asian Games. He won the silver medal at the 2019 Asian Championships, which was also his personal best throw - 86.23 meters.
Annu Rani Javelin thrower from Bahadurpur, Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, Rani was the 1st Indian to reach the finals of women's javelin throw event in the World Athletics Championships, Doha in 2019. In 2014, Rani broke a 14-year-old national record at National Inter-State Athletics Championship in Lucknow with a throw of 58.83 meters and also won the gold medal. Later in the year, she won the bronze medal at the Asian Games in South Korea. And two years later, broke her record again at the National Inter-state Athletics Championship with a throw of 60.01 meters. Then again, in March 2019 she broke her own record with a throw of 62.34 meters at the National Senior Athletics Championships in Punjab. She also bagged the gold medal in the women's javelin throw event at the 59th National Open Athletics Championship.
Davinder Singh Kang A track and field athlete, Kang won the bronze medal at 2017 Asian Athletics Championships with a throw of 83.29m. He became the first Indian to qualify for the final of the javelin throw event at the World Athletics Championships with a throw of 84.22m – which was the seventh-best mark in the qualification round - at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics.
A few other javelin throwers from India are KashinathNaik, NarenderRanbir, SandeepChaudhary and Neeraj Chopra.
