Neeraj Chopra is on a roll in the javelin throw sport, guaranteeing India a medal in any competition he participates in. He won the prestigious Diamond League Finals title on Thursday night to create history.
Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra attained another historic feat. On Thursday, he became the first Indian to win the prestigious Diamond League Finals title in Zurich. Chopra started with a foul. However, in his second attempt, he bounced back to the top with an impressive throw of 88.44 metres - his fourth career best - eventually his winning effort. His remaining throws were 88.00 metres, 86.11 metres, 87.00 metres and 83.60 metres in his subsequent four throws. Tokyo silver medallist Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch finished second with a top throw of 86.94 metres in his fourth attempt. Germany's Julian Weber settled at third with a best throw of 83.73 metres.
The 24-year-old Indian megastar has now become the Olympic champion, World Championships silver medallist and the Diamond League champion. Notably, he has achieved all of it in just a matter of 13 months. He won the Olympic gold in Tokyo last year, on August 7. Interestingly, he has come up with 88 metres-plus throw on six instances this season, showing his consistency. He possesses the national record of 89.94 metres that he attained this season.
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Chopra also culminated his international season with a history-scripting execution. The Diamond League Finals is considered one of the most prestigious competitions other than the Olympics and World Championships. It happened to be Chopra's third appearance in the Diamond League Finals, having finished seventh and fourth respectively during 2017 and 2018.
Chopra was awarded a Diamond Trophy, $30,000 prize money and a wild card for next year's World Athletics Championships in Budapest. However, he already reserved his spot for the 2023 World Championships, having breached the 85.20 metres qualifying mark in Lausanne. The Diamond League confines 32 Diamond Disciplines, as it follows a championship-style model. Athletes earn points in 13-series meets to qualify for the final of their individual fields.
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Chopra made a sensational return from a month-long injury lay-off, as he won the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League series on August 26 and qualified for the Finals in Zurich. He became the maiden Indian to win a Diamond League meet title in Lausanne, coming up with his third career-best throw of 89.08 metres.
Chopra had missed out on the Birmingham Commonwealth Games (CWG) due to a nominal groin injury that he had suffered during his silver-winning performance during the World Championships in the United States of America (USA) in July. The six-man lot in Zurich did not contain world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, who is recovering following an assault inside a boat in his nation last month.
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With Thursday's victory, Chopra has beaten the 31-year-old Vadlejch for the fifth occasion since winning the gold medal in Tokyo Olympics in August last year. Vadlejch finished sixth and fourth, while Chopra finished second during the Paavo Nurmi Games (June 14) and Stockholm Diamond League (June 30), respectively. While Chopra won World Championships silver in Eugene, Vadlejch claimed the bronze before the pair collided in Lausanne on August 26.
(With inputs from PTI)