Newly-crowned World Champion Neeraj Chopra Looks To Maintain Diamond League Unbeaten Streak In Zurich

30.08.2023 - 11:31 sports.ndtv.com

Newly-crowned world champion Neeraj Chopra will look to maintain his unbeaten streak in the prestigious Diamond League meet when he competes in a star-studded men's javelin throw field in Zurich on Thursday.

Chopra on Sunday clinched his maiden World Championships title in Budapest with a throw of 88.17m. He had won a silver medal in the 2022 edition.

The Indian superstar also became only the third javelin thrower in history to hold both the Olympic and World Championships titles after world record holder Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic and Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway.

Zelezny clinched the Olympics gold in 1992, 1996 and 2000 while winning the World Championships title in 1993, 1995 and 2001.

athletics record UPS world champion Neeraj Chopra Jakub Vadlejch Anderson Peters Germany Norway Czech Republic India Pakistan Grenada

Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra failed to defend his Diamond League champion's title as he finished second with a modest performance of 83.80m in Eugene on Saturday. The 25-year-old Chopra struggled in the windy conditions in the grand finale at the Hayward Field as he fouled his two attempts. His best throw of the day came in the second attempt. His series read foul, 83.80m, 81.37m, foul, 80.74 and 80.90m. This was his first below 85m throw of the season. He had qualified for the DL Finals at the third spot. He had won the 2022 DL Finals in Zurich with a throw of 88.44m.

Watch: Neeraj Chopra's 83.80m Throw In Eugene Diamond League Final

India's 'Golden Boy' and Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra came second best to Czech Jakub Vadlejch in the Wanda Diamond League final in men's javelin in Eugene on Saturday. USA's Curtis Thompson started the event with a throw of 74.16 metres to get the javelin final underway. The Indian ace started with a cross to his name, as his first throw was disqualified. However, he made a sensational recovery to climb to second place on the points table with a throw of 83.80m in his second attempt.

Neeraj Chopra Finishes Second In Diamond League Final

Neeraj Chopra Seeks To Defend Diamond League Trophy

A World Championships gold was the crowning glory of this season but superstar javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has a title to defend as he takes the field against familiar rivals at the prestigious Diamond League finals on Saturday. The 25-year-old Chopra lifted the Diamond League champion's trophy in Zurich last year and he would be looking to do the same again after dominating the season which saw him win his maiden World Championships title in Budapest in August. If Chopra holds the trophy and pockets the USD 30,000 prize money at the Prefontaine Classic, he will become only the third man to defend the DL overall title, though the format changed in 2017.

Neeraj Chopra Seeks To Defend Diamond League Trophy

World Athletics Championships 2023 Was A "Big Challenge": Neeraj Chopra Tells NDTV

India's star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra added another feather to his cap last week by claiming a World Athletics Championships gold medal at Budapest, Hungary. With it, he also became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the event. Neeraj's best throw in the javelin final was 88.17m. He had a foul throw to start with but then got 88.17m, 86.32m, 84.64m, 87.73m and 83.98m. In a recent interview to NDTV, Neeraj has revealed that the World Championships was "a big challenge" for him.