Zurich [Switzerland], August 29 (ANI): World Champion and Olympics gold medalist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra’s streak of top two finishes at events continued as he secured the second spot with the best throw of 85.01 m during the Diamond League final at Zurich on Thursday.
It was Germany’s Julian Weber who topped the field with a massive throw of 91.51 m, which came on his second attempt. He performed two massive 91-plus throws in his first two attempts. Neeraj did not have the best night, starting with two throws in the early 80s, following it with three disappointing fouls, which put his top-two finish streak under threat, but in his final throw of 85 m plus, he came in clutch to extend his run of top-two finishes to 26 successive events. Keshorn Walcott, the 2012 London Olympics gold medalist from Trinidad and Tobago, finished in third spot with the best throw of 84.95m.
Neeraj threw 84.35 metres in his first attempt. But it was Germany’s Julian Weber, the former European Champion, who topped the charts with a stunner of a throw of 91.37 m that left the crowd in awe. Also, at the second spot was occupied by 2012 London Olympics gold medalist Keshorn Walcott with a throw of 84.95 m. Neeraj was in third place. Anderson Peters was fourth (81.41m), followed by Julius Yego (80.49 m).
Neeraj’s second throw was even worse, with 82 m. Julian maintained his supremacy at the top, with a massive throw of 91.51 m in his second attempt, outdoing his first. Neeraj, however, retained his position at third at the end of the second round.
Julian and Neeraj both got a no-mark in their third attempt, with their first and third spots in the standings intact at the end of the third round.
Neeraj’s fourth throw also turned out to be a foul, bringing his consistent record of top two finishes in the past four years, spanning 25 events, into trouble. After a foul, Weber threw 83.66 m in his fourth attempt, keeping his top finish intact, with Keshorn at second and Neeraj at third.
Neeraj’s unfortunate foul streak continued with throw five as well, putting his proud top-two record into even greater jeopardy. The fifth round saw an 86.45m throw from Weber, and he maintained his spot at the top. Only Weber, Keshorn and Neeraj managed to get the privilege of that one final throw that could shake up the table, with the rest of the field eliminated.
Neeraj’s final throw was of 85.01 m, moving him to the second spot. Keshorn’s final throw was of 78.05 m, confirming the second spot for Neeraj. Weber’s final throw was a solid 88.66m, capping off a memorable outing for him.
Neeraj secured the Diamond League final way back in 2022 at the same venue, becoming the first-ever Indian to do so. It was followed by two second-place finishes in 2023 and 2024.
So far, the Indian superstar has enjoyed a spectacular 2025 season.
Chopra took the top honours in the inaugural edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic, a competition named after him at Sri Kanteerava Outdoor Stadium in Bengaluru last month. The reigning javelin throw champion stood triumphant with 86.18m.
Neeraj kickstarted the season with a win at the Potch Invitational in Potchefstroom, South Africa, in April and followed it up with a very special second-place finish at Doha Diamond League in May, where he crossed the 90-metre mark for the first time ever, with a throw of 90.23 m.
He also went on to secure a second spot in the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland later that month and resumed his winning ways with back-to-back titles at Paris Diamond League and Ostrava Golden Spike, with best efforts of 88.16 m and 85.29 m.
Neeraj will now look to defend his world title in the World Athletics Championships scheduled for Tokyo from September 13-21. During the previous edition, Neeraj had finished ahead of Nadeem to win the gold, becoming the first-ever Indian to land a gold at the marquee event. (ANI)
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