Neeraj Chopra finishes 2nd in Zurich Diamond League days after winning Gold at World Athletics Championships

Neeraj Chopra, fresh off his gold medal win at the World Athletics Championships, finished second behind Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch in the Zurich Diamond League with a best attempt of 85.71m.

Chopra started off with an 80.79m throw in his first attempt. He then committed a foul in his second and third attempts, which took him down to fifth position, with Germany’s Julian Weber leading the charts.

Chopra got back up in the standings with an 85.22m throw in his fourth attempt, taking him to second place behind leader Jakub Vadlejch. Chopra committed another foul in his fifth attempt to stay second behind Vadlejch. In his final attempt, Chopra threw a distance of 85.71m, almost overtaking Vadlejch’s best attempt of 85.86m.

In the World Athletics Championships 2023, held in Budapest, Hungary, Chopra scripted history by becoming the first Indian to win a gold medal. He achieved this feat with a best throw of 88.17m in the men’s javelin final.

He qualified for the final with his very first throw (88.77m) and came up on top in the final against a field of world-class throwers. He also qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024 with his effort in the qualifying round.

Before his gold-winning performance in 2023, Chopra had also won a historic silver medal at the Oregon World Championships in 2022. This was India’s second medal at the World Athletics Championships after long-jumper Anju Bobby George’s bronze in 2003. Chopra’s performances have been consistently impressive.

In May 2023, he clinched the top spot in the Doha Diamond League with a throw of 88.67m. In the same month, he, for the first time, achieved first position in the men’s javelin throw rankings published by World Athletics. With his gold medal at the World Athletics Championships, the 25-year-old Chopra has now won gold at every major international event.

The second-place finish in Zurich also continued Neeraj’s fine run in Diamond League competitions. Neeraj had won the Diamond League final in 2022 in the same city with a throw of 88.44m. He would then carry this form into 2023 as he won in Doha and followed it up with victory in Lausanne with a throw of 87.67m.