Watch: Neeraj Chopra clinches second Diamond League title of the year with best throw of 87.66m
Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra obtained the top spot in Lausanne Diamond League 2023 with a best throw of 87.66 m on Friday. The star Indian player is coming back from a muscle injury he had sustained during training. The injury forced Chopra to withdraw from three events in the month of June namely FBK Games, Paavo Nurmi Games and the Ostrava Golden Spike.
Neeraj Chopra looked a little out of sorts on his first attempt, which was ruled a foul. He opened his account with a throw of 83.52m in his second attempt, which put him in third place behind Julian Weber (86.20m) and Jakub Vadlejch (84.71m).
Chopra moved into second place with a throw of 85.04m on his third attempt, just behind Weber, and had the chance to take the lead on his fourth attempt. However, the 25-year-old failed to make a mark on his fourth attempt.
The Indian ace player finally eventually took the lead with a throw of 87.66m in the fifth round. Germany’s Julian Weber clinched the second spot with a throw of 87.03m and Tokyo Olympics Silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch took the third spot with a 86.13m throw in his final attempt.
After the victory at the Lausanne Diamond League, Chopra told organizers, “I was feeling a bit nervous coming back from an injury. It was a bit cold here tonight. I am still far from my best, but I feel it is getting better. I am relieved it´s coming together well for me. A win is a win and I will take that happily.”
Chopra won his first Diamond League Trophy when he won the Lausanne leg in August 2022. He went on to win the Diamond League Trophy in the final later that year. The Tokyo Olympic gold medallist had won the Diamond League meeting in Doha on May 5 with a throw of 88.67 metres.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Updated: 01 Jul 2023, 09:25 AM IST
