In the 2020 Summer Olympics javelin throw final, Neeraj Chopra produced a…
2026
In the 2020 Summer Olympics javelin throw final, Neeraj Chopra produced a spectacular performance to win the gold medal. Jakub Vadlejch won the silver medal, and Vítězslav Veselý won the bronze medal. There were six rounds of throws, with each athlete having one throw per round. Each athlete’s best valid throw was considered for the medals. The following observations were given:
Neeraj Chopra dominated the first and second rounds, producing his gold-medal performance with his second throw, while the other two athletes had no medal-winning throw in these rounds.
The last-round throws of both Jakub Vadlejch and Vítězslav Veselý were fouls and were not considered for scoring.
After four rounds, Vítězslav Veselý was in second position; neither of his succeeding throws equalled or improved on the best throw he had already recorded.
In the fourth round, Jakub Vadlejch made the sole best valid throw of that round, strictly longer than every other valid throw in that round.
In which round did Vítězslav Veselý first record the throw that remained his best?
Answer: A. Third — ConceptIn a ranking puzzle, if one competitor is already ahead and another competitor also strictly exceeds a third competitor, that third competitor cannot…
- A.
Third
- B.
Fourth
- C.
Fifth
- D.
Sixth
Attempted by 12 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept
In a ranking puzzle, if one competitor is already ahead and another competitor also strictly exceeds a third competitor, that third competitor cannot hold second place. Candidate cases can therefore be eliminated by combining score validity, timing constraints, and strict rank order.
Application
Observation (i) rules out rounds 1 and 2: Neeraj’s medal-winning throws occurred there, while Vítězslav Veselý had no medal-winning throw in either round.
Observation (iii) says neither of Veselý’s later throws equalled or improved on the best he had after four rounds. Therefore, rounds 5 and 6 cannot be when he first recorded his best; observation (ii) also identifies his round-6 attempt as a foul.
Only rounds 3 and 4 remain. Suppose Veselý first recorded his best throw in round 4.
Observation (iv) says Jakub Vadlejch’s round-4 throw was strictly longer than every other valid throw in that round, including Veselý’s assumed personal best. Neeraj’s gold-medal throw was already ahead, so Jakub would also be ahead of Veselý. Veselý would then be third after four rounds, contradicting observation (iii), which places him second.
Cross-check
The official World Athletics series independently confirms the deduction: Veselý’s six attempts were 79.73 m, 80.30 m, 85.44 m, foul, 84.98 m, and foul. His unique best was therefore 85.44 m in round 3. IIT Guwahati’s official GATE 2026 answer key for this master-paper question likewise identifies ‘Third’ as the correct answer.
Result
Vítězslav Veselý first recorded his best throw in the third round.
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