Neeraj Chopra number one in World Athletics men's javelin ranking
New Delhi, My 22: Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra became the world number one for the first time in his career in the latest men's javelin throw rankings issued by the World Athletics.
Chopra topped the charts with 1455 points, 22 ahead of Grenada's reigning world champion Anderson Peters (1433).
Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic was third with 1416 points.
The 25-year-old Chopra rose to world number two on August 30 last year but was stuck behind Peters since then.
In September last year, Neeraj Chopra won the Diamond League 2022 finals in Zurich, becoming the first Indian to win the prestigious trophy.
He won the title at the season-opening Doha Diamond League on May 5 with a throw of 88.67m.
He will next compete at the FBK Games on June 4 in the Netherlands, followed by the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, on June 13.
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Progress made in talks over Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release, officials say
Cairo, Jan 13: US and Arab mediators made significant progress overnight toward brokering a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and the release of scores of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, but a deal hasn't been reached yet, officials said Monday.
Four officials acknowledged that progress has been made and said the coming days would be critical for ending more than 15 months of fighting that has destabilised the Middle East. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorised to discuss the talks.
A US official briefed on the negotiations said all sides are "closer than we've ever been, but it could still fall apart." The official declined to predict the timing of a potential agreement because he said it is just too uncertain, with multiple moving parts still in play.
Two other officials, including one associated with Hamas, said that there were still a number of hurdles to clear. On several occasions over the past year, US leaders have said that they were on the verge of reaching a deal, only to have the talks stall.
Another person familiar with the talks said there had been a breakthrough overnight and that there was a proposed deal on the table. Israeli and Hamas negotiators will now take it back to their leaders for final approval, the person said.
The person said that mediators from the Gulf country of Qatar had put renewed pressure on Hamas to accept the agreement, while US President-elect Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, was pressing the Israelis. Witkoff recently joined the negotiations and has been in the region in recent days.
The person said that the mediators had handed off the draft deal to each side and that the next 24 hours would be pivotal.
An Egyptian official said that there had been good progress overnight, but that it would likely take a few more days, and that the sides were aiming for a deal before Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20. A third official said that the talks were in a good place, but hadn't been wrapped up. That official also assessed that a deal was possible before the inauguration.
Asked about the talks at a press conference, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said “progress has been made, and I hope that within a short time we will see things happening. But it is still to be proved."
A Hamas official said a number of contentious issues still need to be resolved, including an Israeli commitment to ending the war and details about the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the hostage-prisoner exchange. The official wasn't authorized to brief media and spoke anonymously.
The Egyptian official confirmed that those issues were still being discussed.
