NEW DELHI: Neeraj Chopra, a gold medalist from the Tokyo Olympics, beat a top-tier field in Lausanne on Friday with an effort of 87.66m to win the Diamond League for the second time in a row.
After missing the FBK Games in Hengelo, Netherlands on June 4 and the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland on June 13, Chopra was forced to withdraw due to a muscle strain. He fouled on his first throw, giving Germany's Julian Weber an early lead with an 86.20m throw.
Neeraj did not finish among the top three athletes after the first round of the competition. But with a throw of 83.52 metres in the second round, he asserted himself. Despite this, Julian continued to be in the lead at the conclusion of the second round, allowing Neeraj to advance.
In the third round, Neeraj showed continued development by covering an astounding 85.02 metres and moving up to second place. At the conclusion of the fourth round, Neeraj still held the second-place position despite having his fourth attempt ruled illegal. In response, Chopra threw 83.52 metres to claim third place then passed Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch to claim second with an effort of 85.04 metres in his third dig. Neeraj who is known for producing strong early throws, gathered enough energy in his fifth and penultimate try to hurl the spear to 87.66m and take the lead.
Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, the other Indian competing, placed seventh with a best leap of 7.88 metres. LaQuan Nairn of the Bahamas won with 8.11m, and Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece came in second with 8.07m. Yuki Hashioka of Japan finished third (7.98m).
Chopra's victory, which comes in a stacked nine-man field that includes the reigning world champion (Anderson Peters), the season's best thrower (Vadlejch, 89.51m), and the meet record holder (Keshorn Walcott, 90.16m), is his second in the Diamond League this season after his victory at the Doha Diamond League on May 5.
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