NEERAJ CHOPRA WINS LAUSANNE DIAMOND LEAGUE
Neeraj Chopra, the Olympic champion in javelin throw secured his second consecutive victory in the Diamond League events of 2023 by finishing first in Lausanne. Despite a slow start Chopra achieved a best throw of 87.66m in his fifth attempt. This competition marked his return after missing previous events due to an injury.
Initially Germany’s Julian Weber took the lead with an 86.20m throw while Chopra struggled to register a mark. Chopra’s second attempt of 83.52m was also below his usual standards. However he regained his rhythm and recorded an 85.04m throw in his third attempt, moving him into second place. With a massive 87.66m throw in his fifth attempt, Chopra claimed the top spot which he maintained.
Weber and Jakub Vadlejch came close to matching Chopra’s mark with their final attempts recording distances of 87.03m and 86.13m respectively. Nevertheless Chopra’s lead remained unchallenged securing his second Diamond League win this year.
Following the event Chopra expressed relief and acknowledged his nerves returning from the injury. He mentioned feeling the cold but emphasized that he is gradually improving. While he believes he is still far from his best he expressed satisfaction with the win.
After two javelin events in the Diamond League Chopra leads the standings with 16 points followed by Vadlejch with 13 points and Weber with 12 points. The remaining three javelin events will take place in Monaco July 21, Zurich August 31 and Eugene September 17.
In contrast Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar had a challenging night finishing fifth with a best jump of 7.88m. He currently stands third in the Diamond League long jump standings but trails far behind the leader Mitliadis Tentoglou who has accumulated 21 points.
The Indian superstar athlete won the first Diamond League event of the season in Doha on May 5 with a throw of 88.67m. His personal best in javelin throw is 89.94m.
