Indian Olympic and World Champion Neeraj Chopra secured second place in the men’s javelin event at the Wanda Diamond League 2023, with a final throw covering a distance of 85.71 meters.
During the competition, Chopra executed three valid throws of 80.79m, 85.22m, and 85.71m, while his other three throws were fouls. He found himself behind Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch, who clinched the gold with an 85.86m throw. It’s worth noting that Vadlejch had previously won bronze at the World Championships.
Chopra’s performance had its ups and downs. He began with a modest 80.79m throw, initially placing him second. However, two fouls in the following throws pushed him down to fifth place at the halfway mark when Germany’s Julian Weber was leading. On his fourth attempt, Chopra managed a throw of 85.22m, which elevated him to the second spot, although Vadlejch had already taken the lead.
Despite fouling his fifth throw, Chopra’s final attempt was impressive at 85.71m, marking his best performance of the day. Looking forward, Chopra’s next goal is to secure the Diamond League championship on September 17 in Eugene, Oregon.
Leading up to this competition, Neeraj Chopra had a remarkable season, remaining undefeated until now. He secured qualification for the Diamond League finals in Eugene, Oregon, amassing 23 points from three meets. In the previous year, he claimed the Diamond League trophy.
In the Diamond League standings, Chopra stood in third place, trailing Jakub Vadlejch (29 points) and Julian Weber (25 points). Notably, the Indian athlete skipped the Diamond League leg in Monaco due to injury concerns, whereas Jakub and Weber participated.
Neeraj Chopra, at the age of 25, achieved victories at the Diamond League meets in Doha (May 5) and Lausanne (June 30). These were his only two events before making history by winning a gold medal at the World Championships in Budapest in August with an impressive throw of 88.17m.
