Neeraj Chopra wins Doha Diamond League 2023 with world-leading effort of 88.67m
Chopra started the competition with a bang, coming within touching distance of his personal best and national javelin record of 89.94m on his first attempt.
Tokyo 2020 Olympic javelin throw champion Neeraj Chopra started his season with a world-leading effort of 88.67m on his first attempt at the Qatar Sports Club, here on Friday. This was his first win in the Doha Diamond League 2023.
Chopra, known for his explosive starts, came within touching distance of his personal best and national javelin record of 89.94m on his final attempt.
Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch threw a season-best 88.63m in his second attempt to take the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
The Indian javelin ace followed up his first throw with a throw of 86.04 meters, his second throw measured 85.47 meters before he fouled his fourth. His last two throws measured 84.37 meters and 86.52 meters.
Anderson Peters threw an 85.88 meter javelin to come in third place at the world championships. This throw was also Peters’ first attempt.
Neeraj Chopra’s eight qualification points from the first leg gave him the top-place finish.
This year, the Diamond League series finale will be held in Eugene on September 16 and 17. Athletes competing in the Diamond League are awarded points instead of medals, and the top eight athletes at the end of the series qualify for the finale.
On the other hand, another Indian javelin thrower, Eldhose Paul, a Commonwealth Games triple jump champion, finished 10th in the 11-men field with a best jump of 15.84m on his first attempt.
Making his Diamond League debut, the 26-year-old Paul hit a best of 13.65m on his first attempt. On his next two attempts, he went out to 14.70m but failed to progress further to the medal round. His personal best is 16.99m which he achieved at India’s Federation Cup last year.
The reigning Olympic triple jump champion, Pedro Pichardo of Portugal, managed a jump of 17.91m to top the charts, while Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Hugues Fabrice Zango of Burkina Faso came in second with a jump of 17.81m. Reigning Diamond League winner Andy Diaz Hernandez from Cuba came in third with the best effort of 17.80.
The Rabat Diamond League event will be an exciting one, as Neeraj will be competing there. The Golden Spike Ostrava event will also be a great competition, as Neeraj will be looking to set a new world record.
