Watch: Neeraj Chopra's first throw which secured automatic qualification to final at Tokyo Olympics

India's Neeraj Chopra qualified for the final of the Javelin Throw event with his brilliant first attempt, in which he breached the automatic qualification mark (83.50m).

Neeraj threw 86.65m to not only qualify but also top the qualification (Group A), which included one of the strongest favorites for the gold medal, Germany's Johannes Vetter.

Vetter, too, qualifed for the final after breaching the automatic qualification mark in his third and final attempt.

Watch Neeraj's brilliant throw here:

Deprived of participation in a number of international tournaments due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Neeraj had been preparing in Sweden prior to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

He also had to withdraw from the Diamond League meeting, scheduled to be held on July 13 near London, as getting a visa would have taken a lot of effort and time because of the pandemic.

However, this hardly seemed to have disrupted Chopra's rhythm. In the qualification event, Chopra was the 15th athlete to throw and was the only second to breach the automatic qualification mark.

The final of the event will take place on August 7 at 4:30 PM.