Chopra finishes second in Diamond League Final

Eugene (US):  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 here 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.

Hayward Field is where Chopra had won a historic silver medal in the 2022 World Athletics Championships last year.

Chopra’s route to the Diamond League final had seen him finish on top in two individual Diamond League meetings — in Doha on May 5 and Lausanne on June 30 — and second at the Zurich meet on August 31 (with Vadlejch topping).

He also claimed an unprecedented gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, bettering his silver medal from last year.