Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra marked his return from injury in a scintillating fashion and clinched gold at the Lausanne Diamond League in the early hours on Saturday (July 1). A throw of 87.66 was enough for the 27-year-old superstar athlete to win his second consecutive gold in the competition. After adding another gold medal to his already illustrious trophy shelf, Chopra admitted to not being at his best currently but is looking forward to the 'big' competition in Budapest.
"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 the conclusion of the event on Friday evening, 30 June," Chopra told organisers after winning the gold medal.
"I wanted to win so I'm super happy with the results but I also want to go back to training and fix some of the things that I noticed and that are going to make me stronger. Lausanne always treats me well. Last year I won and this year too, so I look forward to coming again next year and win again! The next competition, Budapest, will be a big one for me!" the Olympic champion further added.
The 25-year-old Chopra, who had skipped three top events due to a muscle strain he sustained last month, had won the season-opening Diamond League in Doha on May 5 with his fourth career-best throw of 88.67m.
Chopra, who usually produces his best in early rounds, had to wait till his fifth attempt to lead the field. He was at the second spot till the end of the fourth round.
Chopra began with a foul and then had 83.52m and 85.04m throws. He had another foul in the fourth round before coming up with his title-winning throw of 87.66m next. His sixth and last throw was 84.15m.
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