Neeraj Chopra Secures Second Place at Diamond League Final Despite Challenges

Neeraj Chopra's Performance Overview

World Champion and Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra shared his reflections on his performance during the Diamond League final held in Zurich on Thursday. He described the day as 'hard' despite achieving a throw of over 85 meters. Chopra maintained his impressive record of finishing in the top two, securing second place with a throw of 85.01 meters.

The event was dominated by Germany's Julian Weber, who achieved a remarkable throw of 91.51 meters on his second attempt, showcasing his strength with two impressive throws exceeding 91 meters.

Challenging Day for Neeraj

Neeraj faced a tough competition, starting with two throws in the early 80s and three fouls that threatened his streak of top finishes. However, he managed to deliver a crucial final throw of over 85 meters, extending his record of consecutive top-two finishes to 26 events. Keshorn Walcott, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist from Trinidad and Tobago, finished third with a throw of 84.95 meters.

Neeraj's Reflections Post-Event

After the competition, Neeraj commented, 'Today was a bit of a hard day. There are always tougher days in sports, and today was challenging for me. However, I still managed to throw over 85 meters in my last attempt. The timing wasn't perfect, and I need to work on my run-up. With three weeks until the World Championships, I will strive to improve my timing for javelin throwing.'

Event Highlights

Neeraj's first throw measured 84.35 meters, while Julian Weber's stunning throw of 91.37 meters left the audience in awe. Keshorn Walcott secured second place with 84.95 meters, placing Neeraj in third initially. Anderson Peters and Julius Yego followed with throws of 81.41 meters and 80.49 meters, respectively.

Neeraj's second throw was disappointing at 82 meters, while Weber continued to lead with a throw of 91.51 meters. Both athletes faced no marks in their third attempts, maintaining their standings. Neeraj's fourth throw was also a foul, putting his top-two streak at risk. Weber's fourth throw was 83.66 meters, keeping him in the lead.

Neeraj's fifth throw was another foul, further jeopardizing his record. However, he managed to secure second place with a final throw of 85.01 meters, while Weber capped off his performance with an impressive 88.66 meters.

Historical Context

Neeraj Chopra previously won the Diamond League final in 2022 at the same venue, marking a historic achievement as the first Indian to do so. He followed this with two second-place finishes in 2023 and 2024.