Javelin powerhouse Germany has had three of its competitors finishing in top eight on four occasions -- 1995, 2003, 2015, 2017 -- since the World Championships began in 1983 but never had three participants from a country ended in top six of the final.

In Budapest on Sunday, Chopra added a World Championships gold to his historic Tokyo Olympics yellow metal, while Kishore Jena and DP Manu finished fifth and sixth respectively. It was Jena and Manu's debut World Championships while Chopra has won a silver in the 2022 edition.

India were to have four entries as Chopra got wild card as Diamond League champion. But Rohit Yadav had to pull out of the showpiece due to an elbow surgery on his throwing arm.

After Chopra's Tokyo feat, interest in javelin throw saw an upsurge all over the country, but more importantly, the confidence that the Indians can win medals at the major global athletics championships increased.

The country now has nine active javelin throwers who have crossed 80m, which is perhaps one of the largest pools anywhere across the world. Chopra, Shivpal Singh, Jena, Manu, Rohit, Yash Vir Singh, Vikrant Malik, Sahil Silwal, Sachin Yadav have crossed 80 metres, while Abhishek Singh, Anuj Kalera and Abhishek Drall are closing in on the mark.

(With PTI inputs)