'Building momentum to get back...': Neeraj Chopra reacts after season-best 88.05m throw at Diamond League
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Building momentum to get back...': Neeraj Chopra reacts after season-best 88.05m throw at Diamond League")
Neeraj Chopra Photograph: (AFP)
Neeraj Chopra narrowly missed out on another Diamond League win in Lausanne, finishing second by just nine centimetres, but his season-best 88.05m throw provided a timely boost ahead of next month’s Asian Games.
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra said he is “building momentum” to return to his “best” after finishing second at the Lausanne Diamond League with a season-best throw of 88.05 metres. Chopra shared his thoughts on social media platform X, writing, “88.05. Building momentum to get back to my best again.”
Chopra finished just nine centimetres behind Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who won the event with a throw of 88.14m.
The result extended Chopra’s wait for a win, with his last victory coming at the Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru in Jul 2025. However, his return to the 88m mark will be a big boost after a difficult start to the season.
Before Lausanne, Chopra had competed in only two events in 2026. He finished fourth at the Doha Diamond League and second at the Commonwealth Games, failing to cross 86m in both competitions.
Chopra began his Lausanne campaign with an 83.54m throw. Pathirage took the early lead with 85.99m before improving his mark to 87.06m on his second attempt.
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Chopra then produced his best throw of the season on his second attempt, reaching 88.05m. The effort improved his previous season-best by 2.23m and put him in contention for the title.
Pathirage responded with an 88.14m throw on his third attempt to regain the lead. Neither athlete could improve their marks in the remaining rounds, leaving Chopra with second place.
Pathirage topped the standings with 88.14m, followed by Chopra with 88.05m. Anderson Peters finished third with 86.69m, while Keshorn Walcott took fourth with 83.71m.
Marc Anthony Minichello finished fifth with 80.06m, followed by Curtis Thompson (78.13m), Jakub Vadlejch (77.32m), Artur Felfner (74.84m) and Simon Wieland (73.23m).
With inputs from agencies
