Neeraj Chopra Finishes Second, Almost Breached The 90m Mark

Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra secured second place in the Lausanne Diamond League, achieving a season-best throw of 89.49m on his final attempt. The 26-year-old, who was in fourth place until the fourth round, improved to 85.58m in his fifth throw, ensuring he made it to the final round. Chopra’s last throw surpassed his performance at the Paris Olympics.

Two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada won the event with a throw of 90.61m, while Germany’s Julian Weber took third with 87.08m. Despite nursing a groin injury, Chopra had claimed a silver at the Paris Olympics with an 89.45m throw, after winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics. Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won gold in Paris with a record throw of 92.97m.

Peters led the competition from the start, with his 90m-plus throw solidifying his position. With seven points from his second-place finish, Chopra now shares third spot in the Diamond League standings with Weber, both at 15 points, while Peters leads with 21 points.

Chopra, who won the Diamond League in 2022, has yet to win a meeting this year, finishing second in Doha earlier this season. He has been managing a groin injury since his gold-winning performance at the Budapest World Championships last year.