Neeraj Chopra Secures Spot in Diamond League Finale, Set for September Showdown
Brussels, 6th September 2024: India’s javelin throw sensation, Neeraj Chopra, a two-time Olympic medalist, has secured his spot in this month’s Diamond League season finale after finishing fourth in the overall standings. The finale, a two-day event, will take place in Brussels on September 14 and 15. Chopra earned 14 points from his two second-place finishes in the Doha and Lausanne meets. However, he opted out of the final series meet in Zurich.
The 26-year-old athlete trails the Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch by two points. Grenada’s Anderson Peters and Germany’s Julian Weber hold the top two positions with 29 and 21 points, respectively. Peters edged out Weber during the Zurich meet.
Chopra, who clinched gold at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics and secured a silver in Paris last month, has been dealing with fitness issues this season. He has mentioned that a lingering groin injury, which has been bothering him since before the Olympics, has hindered his efforts to achieve the elusive 90-meter throw.
In the Lausanne Diamond League, Chopra finished second to Peters, who recorded a throw of 90.61 meters. At the Paris Olympics, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won gold with an impressive throw of 92.97 meters.
Chopra has expressed his intentions for the future, stating, “My priority is to fully recover from my groin injury, improve my technique, and aim for longer throws.”
In previous years, Chopra had won the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League in both 2022 and 2023. Last year, he finished second to Vadlejch in the season finale in Eugene, USA.
Each Diamond League season finale champion is awarded a coveted “Diamond Trophy,” USD 30,000 in prize money, and a wild card entry to the World Athletics Championships.
The Diamond League finale will conclude Chopra’s season.
