Kishore Jena will compete alongside Neeraj Chopra, DP Manu in the final of World Athletics Championships 2023 (Twitter Image)
Speaking ahead of the World Athletics Championship javelin final Kishore Jena said he was ‘confident’ which his mother added that her son will bring glory to the nation
It was a historic achievement for India as the trio of Neeraj Chopra, D.P. Manu and Kishore Jena qualified for the final of the Javelin throw event at the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest.
On Friday, Jena became the first athlete from Odisha to qualify for the final of the World Athletics Championships currently ongoing in Hungary. The 27-year-old came up with a throw of 80.55 metres which was enough to secure him a place in Sunday’s final.
News18 Odia correspondent Debasish Behura had a chat with Jena and his mother. The athlete insisted that he felt very happy to be able to compete at the World Championships, and even though he was nervous at first, Jena will try to give his best in the Javelin throw final on Sunday, August 27.
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“I was nervous at first for such a big game. Now I have confidence and I will play very well,” said Jena.
Kishore’s mother added that she has faith in Lord Jagannath and with god’s blessings, her son will make the nation proud.
“God will give him success and he will bring glory to the country,” she said.
Kishore hails from Kothasahi, his permanent residence is at Brahmagiri Block, Puri District. For the unversed, the Javelin thrower previously played volleyball before his coach encouraged him to play Javelin.
When he made the switch, Kishore burst into the limelight and also had to chance to represent India in Sri Lanka. He won the gold medal at the Indian Open Throws Competition and had also won the Indian Championships, held in Bhubaneshwar.
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The two-time national champion has a personal best throw of 84.38m. A cadet of the Bhubaneshwar Sports Hostel and Odisha RF Athletics HPC, Jena will be going up against his compatriots Neeraj Chopra and D.P. Manu both of whom qualified for the final from Group A.
Chopra, the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist will be among the front-runners for the medals along with his fellow Indians Kishore Jena and D.P. Manu, for the first time in history, three Indians will be lining up in the top 12 athletes of the javelin throw event.
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