Even though Odisha’s ace athlete Kishore Jena couldn’t win a medal in the men’s javelin final at the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest, he didn’t let down the Odia sports lovers. Displaying his career’s best performance, he finished with the fifth position.
The 27-year-old achieved his best throw in his fifth attempt. He threw 84.77m. While he threw 75.70m and 82.82m in his first attempt and second attempt respectively, his third throw was a foul. In his second attempt in the final segment, Kishore displayed his career’s best performance and threw 84.77m.
This year, for the first time, three Indians finished in the top eight of an event in the World Championships. While Niraj Chopra became the first Indian to win a gold medal, DP Manu finished in the sixth position, throwing 84.14m.
Notably, Kishore is the first athlete from the state to have played in a final event of the World Athletics Championships.
In the qualifying event, Jena had secured 9th place among 12 athletes who secured their berth for the final round of Javelin Throw in the championships. While Jena hit 80.55 metres in his first attempt, his subsequent two attempts were not so encouraging. Yet, he had managed to secure a berth in the finals.