Chopra’s qualification round will take place on Tuesday, where he will aim to hit the automatic qualifying mark of 84.00m to advance to the finals. The 26-year-old holds a season's best of 88.36m, recorded at the Doha Diamond League earlier this year. Despite not surpassing his personal best of 89.94m set in 2022, Chopra’s consistency and ability to peak during major events keep him as a top contender.
Jakub Vadlejch from Czechia, a familiar rival, poses one of the biggest challenges to Chopra. Vadlejch, the Tokyo 2020 silver medalist and current European champion, has a season-best of 88.65m and has defeated Chopra in several Diamond League events this year. Grenada’s Anderson Peters, another formidable competitor, boasts a personal best of 93.07m and is a two-time world champion.
Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who secured silver at the World Championships last year, will also compete. Nadeem, who has a personal best of 90.18m, has recovered from an injury and is expected to deliver a strong performance.
Other notable competitors include Germany's Julian Weber, who has been consistently throwing over 85m this season, and Finland's Oliver Helander, who has a season's best of 85.75m. Max Dehning from Germany, the youngest javelin thrower to surpass the 90m mark, also adds to the competitive field.
As the qualification rounds unfold, the athletics world will watch closely to see if Chopra can replicate his past successes and defend his Olympic title against a talented group of athletes.