'Pushed hard in the last 2 attempts': Neeraj Chopra finishes 2nd in Lausanne Diamond League, misses 90m mark by a whisker
The event was won by Grenada's Anderson Peters with a second round throw of 90.61m, while Germany's Julian Weber took third place with 87.08m.
- Aug 23, 2024,
- Updated Aug 23, 2024 7:38 AM IST
Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finished second in the Lausanne Diamond League, producing a season's best throw of 89.49m in his last attempt. The 26-year-old javelin star was at the fourth spot till the fourth round before his throw of 85.58m in the fifth attempt.
Saving the best for the last, Chopra's throw in the sixth and the final attempt measured 89.49m. The event was won by Grenada's Anderson Peters with a second round throw of 90.61m, while Germany's Julian Weber took third place with 87.08m.
Chopra is on joint third spot with Weber on Diamond League standings with 15 points, while Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch finished seventh with 16 points. After the event, Chopra said that he did not feel great at first but is happy with his throw.
"The feeling wasn't great at first, but I´m happy with my throw, especially the second (career) best throw on my last attempt. It was a tough start, but the comeback was really nice and I enjoyed the fighting spirit I showed," Chopra was quoted as saying by newswire PTI.
"Even though my early throws were around 80-83m, I pushed hard in the last two attempts finishing strong. Competing at this high level, it's important to stay mentally tough and fight through."
This was slightly better than his Paris Olympics 2024 show. Chopra, who had a long-standing groin injury, claimed a silver in the Paris Olympics with an 89.45m throw. Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem beat Neeraj Chopra in Paris with a record throw of 92.97m.
He needs to finish in the top-six of the Diamond League meetings series standings to qualify for the season finale. Chopra won the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League in 2022 and 2023 but could not do so this time.
He is yet to win a Diamond League meeting this year as he finished second behind Vadlejch in Doha on May 10. Neeraj Chopra has been managing his groin injury since winning the gold in the Budapest World Championships last year.
Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finished second in the Lausanne Diamond League, producing a season's best throw of 89.49m in his last attempt. The 26-year-old javelin star was at the fourth spot till the fourth round before his throw of 85.58m in the fifth attempt.
Saving the best for the last, Chopra's throw in the sixth and the final attempt measured 89.49m. The event was won by Grenada's Anderson Peters with a second round throw of 90.61m, while Germany's Julian Weber took third place with 87.08m.
Chopra is on joint third spot with Weber on Diamond League standings with 15 points, while Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch finished seventh with 16 points. After the event, Chopra said that he did not feel great at first but is happy with his throw.
"The feeling wasn't great at first, but I´m happy with my throw, especially the second (career) best throw on my last attempt. It was a tough start, but the comeback was really nice and I enjoyed the fighting spirit I showed," Chopra was quoted as saying by newswire PTI.
"Even though my early throws were around 80-83m, I pushed hard in the last two attempts finishing strong. Competing at this high level, it's important to stay mentally tough and fight through."
This was slightly better than his Paris Olympics 2024 show. Chopra, who had a long-standing groin injury, claimed a silver in the Paris Olympics with an 89.45m throw. Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem beat Neeraj Chopra in Paris with a record throw of 92.97m.
He needs to finish in the top-six of the Diamond League meetings series standings to qualify for the season finale. Chopra won the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League in 2022 and 2023 but could not do so this time.
He is yet to win a Diamond League meeting this year as he finished second behind Vadlejch in Doha on May 10. Neeraj Chopra has been managing his groin injury since winning the gold in the Budapest World Championships last year.