Indian javelin throwers Annu Rani and Kishore Jena secured gold medals in the mens and womens javelin throw events, respectively, at the Lebanon Athletics Championships 2023 in Beirut on Friday.Indian javelin throwers dominated Lebanon national championship held in Beirut in evening today. Kishore Jena (78.96m) was winner in the mens event, while Annu Rani (55.32m) won gold in the womens event. Shivpal won silver (73.34m) in mens event. pic.twitter.com/mt1jx3I0Fn— Athletics Federation of India (@afiindia) July 21, 2023Annu Rani, the 30-year-old javelin thrower from Uttar Pradesh, won gold in the womens javelin throw event, recording a best throw of 55.32m. Her distance was more than double the distance managed by silver medallist Lynn Nader (26.48m).However, the figure is not as close as her national-record-setting mark of 63.82m, which she achieved at the Indian Open Javelin Throw Competition 2022. Rani has failed to cross the 60m mark in four competitions since her bronze medal-winning spell at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham.In the mens event, Kishore Kumar Jena of Odisha recorded a distance of 78.96m to clinch the gold medal however, it was still short of his personal best distance of 82.87, which he had achieved last month.Shivpal Singh, who had participated in the Tokyo Olympics 2020, had to settle for silver after recording a distance of 73.34m, a far cry from his personal best of 86.23m.Indian javelin throwers dominate in Beirut for World Championship spotsThe Championship in Beirut is of particular importance to Indian athletes, as it will help them qualify for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.Kishores gold win has placed him at the 36th spot, a position he would like to hold on to until the qualification deadline date of July 30. A successful qualification would be his first-ever appearance at a world championship.Meanwhile, Annu, who is placed at the 29th spot, has almost confirmed her qualification. On the other hand, Shivapal Singh will likely miss out on qualification owing to his lack of participation in tournaments this year. He would need to breach the automatic qualification mark of 85.20m to have hopes of going to Budapest.
