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India's javelin star Neeraj Chopra secured second place in the Lausanne Diamond League on Friday, August 23, achieving a best throw of 89.49 metres. Meanwhile, Grenada's Anderson Peters claimed the top spot with an impressive final throw of 90.61 meters to notch a meet record.
Neeraj Chopra finishes 2nd in Lausanne Diamond League
Despite winning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, Neeraj Chopra appeared to be below his best form in the Lausanne Diamond League. However, he displayed his determination in the final attempt, producing his best throw of the day to secure second place. narrowly missing the 90-meter mark once again. Anderson Peters dominated the competition, breaking the meeting record with a final throw of 90.61 meters. Both Jakub Vadlejch and Neeraj Chopra faced challenges with the conditions on the day, with Vadlejch finishing a disappointing 7th. Chopra began the competition with a throw of 82.10 meters, placing him in fourth position at the end of the first round. Anderson Peters took an early lead with an impressive throw of 86.36 meters, while Jakub Vadlejch struggled initially.
Neeraj Chopra's second attempt saw a significant improvement, with a throw of 83.21 meters that brought him back into the top 3. Anderson Peters continued his strong performance with a throw of 88.49 meters, followed closely by Julian Weber at 87.08 meters. Ukraine's Artur Felfner threw 83.38 meters, causing Neeraj to slip back to 4th place.
Neeraj's third throw, at 83.13 meters, placed him in danger of falling further down the rankings. However, he managed to maintain his position in the top 4, although his throws remained below his usual standards. His fourth attempt resulted in a throw of 82.34 meters, keeping him in the same spot.
In his fifth attempt, Neeraj achieved his best throw of the competition, reaching 85.58 meters and moving back into the top 3. The final attempt involved only the top 3 competitors. Anderson Peters concluded the competition in style, breaking the meeting record with a phenomenal throw of 90.61 meters. Neeraj Chopra followed with his season-best throw of 89.49 meters in his sixth attempt, surpassing Julian Weber to secure second place. Weber ultimately finished in third position. This performance marked Neeraj Chopra's second-best throw of his career, surpassing the 89.45 meters he achieved at the Paris Olympics 2024.
Neeraj Chopra's Dominance in Lausanne
Neeraj Chopra has consistently excelled in the Lausanne Diamond League. In 2022, he won the event with a throw of 87.66 meters. The following year, he once again stood on the top step of the podium, achieving a distance of 89.08 meters.
Neeraj's second-place finish in Lausanne on Thursday propelled him into the top 3 of the Diamond League standings for the 2024 season. After securing second place in Doha earlier in the season, Neeraj climbed to the fourth spot with 7 points. He previously won the Diamond Trophy in 2022 and finished second in 2023. Neeraj is expected to compete in Zurich on September 5th before participating in the Diamond League final in Brussels on September 13th-14th.
Arshad Nadeem was the only notable absentee from the star-studded field in Lausanne, which featured Paris Olympics bronze medalist Anderson Peters, Diamond Trophy 2023 winner Jakub Vadlejch, and Germany's Julian Weber. Neeraj was looking to regain his top form after being dethroned as Olympic champion in Paris. The Indian star won silver at the Olympics with a best effort of 89.45 meters, finishing behind Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem. Neeraj had been considering a long break and surgery to address a lingering groin injury. The Haryana athlete had previously discussed the impact of this injury on his performance at the Olympics, where he managed only one legal attempt out of six. However, Neeraj made a surprise early return to competition in Lausanne. He has once again postponed the decision on surgery and is likely to make a final determination after the conclusion of the season.
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