Despite recovering from an injury only recently, Neeraj Chopra resumed his Diamond League 2023 campaign exactly from where he left in May, as he secured yet another first-place finish. The Indian javelin thrower topped the charts in the Lausanne Diamond League on Friday, 30 June, with a best attempt of 87.66m.
Neeraj arrived in Lausanne as the defending men’s javelin throw champion in Diamond League – a record which no one else has held from India – whereas he also won the Doha leg of this competition, with a best effort of 88.67m. Having said that, the battle in Lausanne emerged as a litmus test for the athlete, following his month-long injury layover.
The start was not as expected from the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist, as Neeraj faulted his first attempt. In the same round, Germany’s Julian Weber secured the provisional pole with an 86.20m attempt, followed by Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch and Ukraine’s Artur Felfner.
However, Neeraj eventually kept growing into the event as he rediscovered his rhythm. An 83.52m throw helped him claim third place after the second round, whilst with an 85.04m throw, he further stepped up a place on the ladder to claim second position.
The fourth attempt saw Neeraj faulting for the second time on the day, but with an 87.66m attempt, he stood first by the end of the fifth round. Albeit he could not better his tally in the final round, recording 84.15m, the fifth-round throw proved to be enough to secure yet another first-place finish for India’s golden boy.
As for the leaderboard, Weber and Vadlejch both recorded their best attempts in the last round, finishing second and third respectively. For two-time World Championships gold medallist, Anderson Peters, it was an underwhelming outing, as he finished fifth.
Lausanne Diamond League 2023: Men's Javelin Throw Leaderboard:
1 – Neeraj Chopra (87.66m)
2 – Julian Weber (87.03m)
3 – Jakub Vadlejch (86.13m)
4 – Oliver Helander (83.50m)
5 – Anderson Peters (82.20m)
6 – Artur Felfner (81.89m)
7 – Keshorn Walcott (81.85m)
8 – Patriks Gailums (79.45m)
9 – Curtis Thompson (74.75m)
Neeraj Extends Lead Over Chasing Pack
With this result, Neeraj extended his advantage in the season standings to three points. He is currently occupying the first position with 16 points, with Jakub Vadlejch in second place with 13 points, and Julian Weber following the pair with 12 points.
Diamond League 2023: Men's Javelin Throw standings.
(Photo: Diamond League)
Prior to the final showdown at Eugene, which will take place on 16-17 September, there will be a couple of more instalments of men’s javelin throw in this year’s Diamond League. The next event will be in Monaco on 21 July, followed by the Zurich leg on 31 August.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)