In his assessment of his performance in the Diamond League final held in Zurich on Thursday, world champion and Olympic gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra said he had a “hard day” even though he was able to throw the javelin more than 85 meters.
With the competition’s best throw of 85.01 meters, Neeraj Chopra took second place, continuing his run of top-two results at tournaments.
Julian Weber of Germany won the competition with a huge throw of 91.51 meters on his second try. His first two attempts included two huge throws of 91 or more.
Neeraj’s night was not the finest; he began with two throws in the early 80s and then had three disappointing fouls, which threatened his record of top-two finishes. However, he came through with a clutch throw of 85 meters or more to extend his run of top-two finishes to 26 consecutive events.
With the best throw of 84.95 meters, Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott, the gold medallist from the 2012 London Olympics, came in third.
After the game, Neeraj Chopra talked about his Diamond League final performance, saying, “Today was a bit of a hard day. In athletics, there are always bad days, and I had a bad day today. However, on my final try, I was still able to throw more over 85 meters. Today was not the best time. It was not a very good run-up. Even though I didn’t uncover anything today, I will still give it my all in the three weeks until the World Championships. I need to find a good time to throw the javelin, but I feel fine right now.”
On his first try, Neeraj hurled 84.35 meters. However, the previous European Champion Julian Weber of Germany led the rankings with an incredible 91.37-meter throw that astounded the audience. Additionally, with a throw of 84.95 meters, gold medallist Keshorn Walcott of the 2012 London Olympics took second place. Third place went to Neeraj. Fourth place went to Anderson Peters (81.41 m), who was followed by Julius Yego (80.49 m).
At 82 meters, Neeraj’s second throw was considerably worse. With a huge throw of 91.51 meters on his second try, surpassing his first, Julian continued to dominate the top. But by the end of the second round, Neeraj was still in third place.
At the end of the third round, Julian and Neeraj were still in first and third place in the standings, but both received a no-mark on their third try.
Neeraj’s record of finishing in the top two in 25 events over the last four years is in jeopardy when his fourth throw was also ruled a foul. Weber maintained his top position after a foul by throwing 83.66 meters on his fourth try, with Keshorn in second place and Neeraj in third.
With a throw-five as well, Neeraj’s regrettable foul run continued, further endangering his already stellar top two record. Weber kept his position at the top with a throw of 86.45 meters in the fifth round. The other players in the field were eliminated, leaving just Weber, Keshorn, and Neeraj to have the opportunity to make the game-changing final throw.
With a final throw of 85.01 meters, Neeraj took second place. Keshorn’s final throw of 78.05 meters solidified Neeraj’s second-place finish. With a strong last throw of 88.66 meters, Weber completed an unforgettable adventure.
In 2022, Neeraj became the first Indian to win the Diamond League final at the same location. Two second place finishes in 2023 and 2024 came after it.
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