Neeraj Chopra surpasses Paris Olympics mark to record season-best throw in Lausanne Diamond League

Ace Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was back on the track during the Lausanne Diamond Meet on Thursday (August 22), shortly after his Paris Olympics 2024 heroics, where he settled for the silver medal. Continuingto struggle with the groin niggle that kept him on his toes in the lead-up to the sporting spectacle in France, Neeraj recorded his season-best (SB) throw of 89.49m in his last attempt to finish second behind Anderson Peters, who hita massive 90.61m throw.

Neeraj began the fourth round in fourth place and moved up in the top three with an impressive 89.49m in his fifth attempt, only to keep his best for the last. On his sixth and final attempt, he recorded his SB, which was 0.4m more than the one he clocked at the Paris Games (89.45m). Germany’s Julian Weber finished third with the best throw of 88.37m.

WATCH VIDEO –

India’s star athlete #NeerajChopra shines at the Lausanne Diamond League achieving a season-best throw of 89.49 meters. pic.twitter.com/kwh7bV6gtK — P C Mohan (@PCMohanMP) August 23, 2024

The two-time Olympic medallist, Neeraj, admitted not feeling great about his throws initially but expressed contentment with his final one. Neeraj said the start was tough, but he is pleased with the comeback, lauding his fighting spirit.

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“The feeling wasn’t great at first, but I’m happy with my throw, especially the second (career) best throw on my last attempt. It was a tough start, but the comeback was really nice, and I enjoyed the fighting spirit I showed,” Chopra said in a chat with PTI after the event.

“Even though my early throws were around 80-83m, I pushed hard in the last two attempts finishing strong. Competing at this high level, it’s important to stay mentally tough and fight through,” he continued.

Tougher road ahead

Following his second-place finish in Lausanne, Neeraj earned seven points, tying with Weber (15 points) in third place in the Diamond League rankings, while Peters stands tall with 21 points. Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic is in the second spot with 16 points; he was placed seventh on Thursday with his best throw of 82.03m.

Meanwhile, Chopra, who won the Lausanne DL leg in 2022 and 2023, was earlier reported to miss the competition to undergo surgery; he, however, delayed that call and confirmed last week that he would participate in Lausanne.

On September 5, another DL Meet will get underway in Zurich, Switzerland, where the men’s javelin throw competition is scheduled.

The DL finals for this season will take place on September 14 in Brussels, Belgium.

(With inputs from agencies)