Annu Rani wins javelin gold with season-best 62.59m throw in Poland

National record holder Annu Rani registered her first 60m-plus throw in more than a year as she won the javelin competition title at the 8th International Wiesaw Maniak Memorial meet in Szczecin, Poland, on Wednesday.

Rani, who will turn 33 on August 29, sent her spear to a season best of 62.59m to take the gold in the World Athletics Continental Tour bronze level meet. She holds the national record of 63.82m, which she achieved in 2022.

She began with a 60.95m effort before achieving her best of the day -- 62.59m -- in her second throw.

In fact, she had another 60m-plus throw -- 60.07m -- in her sixth and final attempt.

In contrast to her three 60m-plus throw on



Wednesday, she could not touch that coveted mark since May 2024, when she threw 60.68m for a sixth-place finish in Offenburg, Germany.

Since then she has even struggled to touch 59m and failed to qualify for the finals in the 2024 Paris Olympics with a 55.81m effort in the qualification round.

Her best this year before Wednesday was 58.82m in Mumbai in March.

Rani is yet to breach the direct qualifying standard of 64m for the Tokyo World Championships in September. But, her performance on Wednesday could put her in the reckoning for the showpiece through world ranking quota.

She now heads to Bhubaneswar for the World Athletics Continental Tour bronze level meet on August 10.