NEW DELHI: Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was unable to retain his Diamond League champion’s title, settling for second place with a modest performance of 83.80m on a blustery Saturday.
Chopra’s Performance
The 25-year-old Chopra faced challenging windy conditions during the grand finale at the Hayward Field, resulting in two fouled attempts. His best throw of the day occurred on his second attempt. His series consisted of fouls, 83.80m, 81.37m, fouls, 80.74m, and 80.90m.
First Throw Below 85m
This marked his first throw below 85m for the season, despite his third-place qualification for the DL Finals. In 2022, he had triumphed in the DL Finals in Zurich, achieving an 88.44m throw.
Jakub Vadlejch’s Victory
Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic secured his third Diamond League championship with a best throw of 84.24m, accomplished during his final attempt. He took the lead from the outset with an 84.01m effort in the first round.
Vadlejch’s Previous Achievements
Vadlejch, who had previously won bronze at the Budapest Worlds and silver at the Tokyo Olympics behind Chopra, had also claimed the DL title in 2017 and 2018.
Chopra’s Past Performances at the Venue
Interestingly, this event took place at the same venue where Chopra had finished second in the 2022 World Championships.
Chopra’s Previous Accomplishments
With a personal best of 89.94m, the Indian athlete had earlier won two individual DL meetings in Doha on May 5 and Lausanne on June 30 before securing a historic gold in the World Championships the previous month. He had become only the third javelin thrower in history to hold both Olympic and World Championships titles, winning the world title in Budapest with an 88.17m throw.
Upcoming Asian Games
Shortly after his World Championships victory, Chopra participated in the Zurich DL leg on August 31, where he finished second behind Vadlejch. Chopra is now gearing up for the Hangzhou Asian Games, commencing later this month, where he aims to defend the gold medal he won in 2018 in Indonesia.
Summary:
- Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra settled for second place in the Diamond League championship with a throw of 83.80m.
- Chopra faced challenging windy conditions, resulting in two fouled attempts.
- This marked his first throw below 85m for the season.
- Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic won the Diamond League championship with a throw of 84.24m.
- Vadlejch had previously won bronze at the Budapest Worlds and silver at the Tokyo Olympics.
- The event took place at the same venue where Chopra finished second in the 2022 World Championships.
- Chopra had earlier won two DL meetings and a gold in the World Championships.
- Chopra is now preparing for the Hangzhou Asian Games, where he aims to defend his gold medal.
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