New Delhi: Coming after a month-long injury layoff, Neeraj Chopra justified his Olympic champion tag as the Indian bagged the top price in the Lausanne Diamond League 2023 with his fifth-round throw of 87.66m on Saturday. Chopra had won the season-opening Diamond League meeting in Doha in May with a throw of 88.67m.
The 25-year-old began with a foul before sending his spear to a distance of 83.52m and 85.04m throws in his next two attempts. He had another foul throw in his fourth round and came up with 87.66m and 84.15m throws in his fifth and sixth attempts. He has a personal best of 89.94m.
Julian Weber of Germany took the second spot with 87.03 while Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic came third with an 86.13m effort.
87.66 m #neerajchopra #NeerajChopra @Neeraj_chopra1 #DL #diamondleague pic.twitter.com/t5ZjAHbOfK
— Rohit Yadav (@RohitJavelin) June 30, 2023
“I was feeling a bit nervous coming back from an injury. It was a bit cold here tonight. I am still far from my best, but I feel it is getting better. I am relieved it´s coming together well for me. A win is a win and I will take that happily,” Chopra said after his win.
Chopra had won the Lausanne leg in August last year also for his maiden Diamond League title. He then went on to win the Diamond League trophy in the grand finale a month later. Meanwhile, in the men’s long jump event, India’s Murali Sreeshankar finished fifth with a below-par jump of 7.88m which he achieved in the third round.
The 24-year-old Sreeshankar, who had clinched the third spot in the Paris leg on June 9 for his maiden Diamond League podium finished had produced a career-best 8.41m during the National Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar earlier this month.
Although it is yet to be known which events Chopra will be competing at in the month of July, the Indian’s main target would be podium-top finishes in the World Athletics Championships in Hungary that starts on August 19. Post that, Chopra will be travelling to China in another bid for an Asian Games gold. The Asian Games starts on September 23.
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