Neeraj Chopra threw 88.36m in the Doha Diamond League. Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic wins with a throw of 88.38m.
India’s golden boy, Neeraj Chopra threw 88.36metres with his sixth and final attempt at the Doha Diamond League. Consequently, he finished two centimetres short of Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic who threw 88.38m.
Former world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada took the third position with a best throw of 86.62m. However, India’s other competitor, Kishore Kumar Jena, had a disappointing finish at number nine with a best throw of 76.31m.
Chopra started with a foul first attempt, followed by 84.93m throw. Before his third attempt he was behind Vadlejch and Peters. But he hit an impressive 86.24m in his third attempt to improve his position.
In the next two rounds, Chopra hit 86.18m and 82.28m to enter the final round in second place. Vadlejch fouled in his final attempt, while Neeraj Chopra hit 88.38m massively.
Though finishing second, Neeraj showed his mettle once again when he came up with a big throw till the very end. This proved one of his earlier statement, “I never want to think that pehle maar do, last mein relaxed chod do (Go big early and then be relaxed towards the end).”
Neeraj Chopra, who wished to clear 90m mark, said the wait will continue. “Maybe God wants me to do it somewhere else,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kishore Jena had a disappointing outing at the Doha Diamond League. He started with a 75.72m followed by foul attempts. He then hit 76.31m in the third round and was eliminated.
Both Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena will be next seen at the Federation Cup scheduled to be held in Bhubaneshwar on May 15. Neeraj Chopra will be competing on home soil for the first time since his Olympic win in 2021.
