Neeraj Chopra finishes 2nd at Janusz Kusocinski Memorial: In testing conditions, Neeraj extends streak of top-two finishes to 22 events

Had things gone as planned, Neeraj Chopra would have been in India this weekend, celebrating the coming together of a dream he had to bring the top javelin throwers in the world to his own backyard.

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The NC Classic — an invitational men’s javelin throw named after the Tokyo gold medallist himself — was originally scheduled to be held at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on May 24, anda day ahead of it, he'd have been the center of attention ina first-of-its-kind event in India. However, after the event had to be postponed due to the recent India-Pakistan conflict, Neeraj found himself in chilly Chorzow, Poland at the Silesian Stadium, in conditions not ideal for javelin. And for a major-ity of the night, he struggled to come up with that one big throw, seemingly set to finish outside the top-two for the first time since June 2021.In the end, though, the Tokyo Olympic champion came up with a solid throw of 84.14m with his sixth and final attempt, and pipped two-time former World Champion Anderson Peters at the finishing line, and sealed his second spot at the 71st Janusz Kusocinski Memorial. It meant that June 2021 — Kuortane Games in Fin-land — remains the last time Neeraj has finished outside second place, the run now extending to 25 (including qua