Javelin thrower Manu looks to rekindle Olympic dreams

Recovering after a dip in form last year Manu is now raising his game to qualify for the Olympics

- Shantanu Srivastava

In the first half of 2023, DP Manu had consolidated his position as India's No.2 javelin thrower, behind Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra. Behind Chopra, there were few barring Rohit Yadav who could challenge Manu's arm. It appeared a matter of time before the tall 24-year-old transitioned into the big league.

Then came along Kishore Jena, and in a three-month run from August became India's new javelin sensation. As the Odisha thrower began touching longer distances with every meet, Manu seemed to stagnate.

The then unfancied Jena improved his best seven times in 2023, going from 78.93m at the start of the year to 87.54m at the Hangzhou Asian Games to qualify for the Paris Olympics. At the Budapest World Championships, where Chopra nailed a historic first gold medal for India, Jena was fifth in the final (84.77m), pipping Manu to sixth (with an effort of 84.14m).

Jena's meteoric rise has fired the competitive hunger in the Karnataka thrower. "I am really happy for Kishore, but to watch Jena improve so much has lit a fire in me. I am waiting for the season to begin so that I can show everyone what I'm capable of," Manu said.