After being injured for about a month, Neeraj Chopra made his way back into the game, and what a comeback it was. With a throw of 87.66 metres, the Olympic champion from Tokyo captured his second straight Diamond League title in Lausanne, Switzerland. After two matches, Neeraj is still in the top spot for the men’s javelin throw in the Diamond League. Neeraj missed two important competitions because of a muscle strain, including the FBK Games in Hengelo, Netherlands, on June 4 and the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, on June 13.
The season’s opening event in Doha was won by Neeraj, the defending Diamond League champion, with an effort of 88.67m. Due to a muscle problem he suffered while training last month, the 25-year-old Chopra missed three major competitions. However, he came back strong and won the Diamond League title today with his fifth-round throw of 87.66 meters.
He committed a foul before throwing 83.52 and 85.04 meters. In the fourth round, he committed another foul before making his 87.66-meter winning throw. His sixth and last throw measured 84.15 meters.
Neeraj’s performance in the match took a turn for the worse when he committed a foul while Julian Weber of Germany, his adversary, got off to a strong start. Weber took the lead with a throw of 86.20 meters. Chopra’s second-best throw, albeit accurate, only covered 83.52 meters. He was obviously under stress. Jakub Vadlejch’s best throw was surpassed by him thanks to his third throw, which covered a distance of 85.04 metres. With each toss, Neeraj’s performance was becoming more apparent. Neeraj performed best in his fifth attempt, which also earned him the Lausanne victory. His competitors were under pressure when he threw 87.66 meters because they were unable to duplicate it in their subsequent tries.
Vadlejch’s best throw of the night was 86.13m, while Weber’s best was 87.03m. Neeraj’s final throw was 84.15 meters. His result after six throws was as follows: x, 83.52, 85.04, x, 87.66, 84.15. Neeraj previously won the Doha Diamond League 2023, making this his second consecutive triumph in the event. The fact that it happened while he and his squad were competing against strong opponents like Anderson Peters, Vadlejch, and Weber must have greatly boosted them confidence.
Not to be forgotten, Murali Shreeshankar, another Indian, competed and placed fifth in the men’s long jump. On the day of the game, Murali leaped 7.88m.
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