New Delhi, Apr 24 (PTI) Asian Games bronze medallist Genki Dean of Japan and rising Sri Lankan Rumesh Pathirage will be among the foreign stars taking part in the maiden edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic javelin throw event in Bengaluru on May 24.

The 33-year-old Dean had won a bronze in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games with a throw of 82.68m, behind Chopra and Kishore Jena. He has a personal best of 84.28m which he had achieved in 2012.

“Dean brings strong credentials from the Asian circuit, a top-10 world ranking and a personal best of 84.28m,” organisers JSW said in a release.

Sri Lanka’s number one javelin thrower Pathirage entered the 85m club in 2024 at the Asian Throwing Championships in Mokpo, Korea with an effort of 85.45m — which is his personal best.

The 22-year-old again breached the coveted mark with a 85.41m throw at the Perth Track Classic in Australia last month.

While announcing a shift in venue from the earlier decided Panchkula to Bengaluru on Monday, Chopra had said that a Brazilian, who had featured in the Paris Olympics final, will also take part in the NC Classic.

The organisers on Thursday specified the name of the Brazilian Luiz Mauricio da Silva.

“A South American powerhouse with multiple podium finishes at the South American Athletics Championships. His personal best: 85.91m,” the release said.

Chopra had also invited Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem who, however, declined the offer, citing clash of dates with his training schedule for the upcoming Asian Athletics Championships.

Chopra himself is also taking part in the event and the names of the other Indian participants are likely to be announced in the coming days. He had said that 3-4 Indians will compete in the event. The maiden edition of Neeraj Chopra Classic javelin throw event will be teeming with stars as the likes of Anderson Peters of Grenada and Thomas Rohler of Germany are taking part.

Peters, who hails from Grenada, is a two-time world champion and Rohler is the gold-medallist from the 2016 Olympics.

The participation of Kenyan Julius Yego, a silver-medallist in the 2016 Rio Olympics besides being a 2015 World Championships gold winner, and American Curtis Thompson, who is the current season leader with 87.76m, has also been confirmed.

The competition has been granted category A status by World Athletics.

The event will be jointly organised by Chopra and JSW Sports in collaboration with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and World Athletics, featuring top global as well as Indian javelin throwers. PTI PDS PDS AH AH