Neeraj Chopra Records World Leading Throw of 88.67m to Win Doha Diamond League Title
Neeraj Chopra, India’s star javelin thrower, made a spectacular start to the season by recording a world leading throw of 88.67m to win the Diamond League meet in Doha on Friday.
In a tough field that included world champion Anderson Peters and Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic, Chopra fell short of the elusive 90m mark but emerged victorious nonetheless.
Chopra’s Series and Victory in Tough Field
Chopra began the contest after Peters, who opened with a throw of 85.88m, putting the field under immediate pressure. However, Chopra’s series of throws – 88.67m, 86.04m, 85.47m, foul, 84.37m, 86.52m – kept him ahead of his rivals.
Valdejch, who has the season’s leading throw before Chopra, kept everyone on their toes with throws of 88.63m and 88.47m but finished second. Peters came third with a best throw of 85.88m.
It was Chopra’s remarkable consistency that separated him from the rest of the field. He went past 88m regularly in five of the six competitions. At the world championships in Eugene, he won silver with a big throw of 88.13m and won the Diamond League title for the first time with an 88.14m throw.
His performance in Doha suggests that he has opened the season in a similar vein. Going into the Doha meet, Chopra had exuded confidence in breaching the 90m mark. In three competitions last year, he crossed 89m but had fallen agonisingly falling short each time.
Major Competitions Ahead for Chopra
Having opened his season with a victory against a quality field, the 25-year-old Chopra will draw confidence for the major competitions this season, including the World Championships in August and the Asian Games in September.
The Diamond League, which offers a prize money of $10,000 for each meet and $30,000 for the champion, will be a major event for Chopra, who will be looking to go all out in the upcoming meets in Lausanne, Monaco, and Zurich before it winds down to the finale on September 16 at Hayward Field in Eugene.
Chopra has been training abroad with an eye on the big season. With coach Klaus Bartonietz and physio Ishaan Marwaha by his side, Chopra trained at UK’s Loughborough University towards the end of last year before moving to Potchefstroom, South Africa and Gloria Sports Arena in Antalya, Turkey this year.
He worked on endurance and stamina and his throwing strength. All that hard work paid off in Doha. On the eve of his season-opening tournament, Chopra had expressed his wish to breach the 90m mark in Doha and settle the debate once and for all.
