Indian Athlete DP Manu Wins Gold in Men's Javelin Throw at 2024 Taiwan Open

Indian athlete DP Manu secured the gold medal in the men's javelin throw event at the 2024 Taiwan Open in Taipei on June 1, with a throw of 81.58 meters. This achievement came at a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze-level meet, which awards vital ranking points.

Manu, a 24-year-old Asian Athletics Championship silver medallist, registered his best throw in his last attempt. His performance was a series of improvements, starting with a 78.32-meter throw, followed by 76.80 meters, 80.59 meters, and 81.52 meters in his third and fifth attempts, respectively. Although he failed to register a valid attempt in his fourth throw, he finished strong with his final throw of 81.58 meters.

The Indian athlete was the only foreign participant among 12 competitors in the event. Chao Tsun Cheng of Chinese Taipei secured the silver medal with a throw of 76.21 meters, while his compatriot Chao-Hong Huang earned the bronze medal with a throw of 71.24 meters.

This victory marks Manu's third podium finish of the season, following wins at the Indian Grand Prix 1 in April and a second-place finish behind Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra at the Federation Cup last month. Manu's personal best remains 84.35 meters, achieved two years ago, and his season-best effort was 82.06 meters, recorded at the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar.

Despite his success, Manu is still seeking to qualify for the Paris Olympics, with the qualification mark set at 85.50 meters. Currently, only Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena have met the automatic qualification standard from India. Manu finished sixth at the World Championships last year, demonstrating his potential on the global stage.

In other events at the Taiwan Open, Nithya Ramraj won the silver medal in the women's 100m barriers with a time of 13.23 seconds, after running a personal best of 13.12 seconds in the heats. Vismaya VK secured the bronze medal in the women's 400m with a timing of 53.49 seconds. Additionally, Priti and Ankita won silver medals in the women's 3000m steeplechase and 5000m events, respectively, at the Music City Track Carnival in Nashville, USA.

The Taiwan Athletics Open meet concludes on Sunday, with Indian athletes Nayana James, Dev Meena, Ankesh Chaudhary, and Somnath Chauhan set to compete in their respective events at the Taipei Municipal Stadium.

Key Takeaways

• DP Manu wins gold in men's javelin throw at 2024 Taiwan Open with 81.58m throw.
• Manu's performance earns vital ranking points at World Athletics Continental Tour bronze-level meet.
• Manu seeks to qualify for Paris Olympics with current personal best of 84.35m, short of 85.50m mark.
• Other Indian athletes win medals in women's 100m barriers, 400m, 3000m steeplechase, and 5000m events.
• More Indian athletes to compete in remaining events at Taiwan Athletics Open meet.