Lausanne Diamond League: Neeraj Chopra clinches gold medal, scripts history
Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra continued his solid form after clocking a monster 89.08m throw. Notably, none of the competitors came close. Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch finished second with a best attempt of 85.88m. USA's Curtis Thompson took third place on the podium. This was also the first time an Indian athlete clinched the top spot in a Diamond League meet.
Chopra gets the job done
After his brilliant first attempt, Chopra clocked a throw of 85.18m in his second throw before skipping the third. Interestingly, his fourth attempt was a foul and he skipped his fifth throw. Chopra threw 80.04m with his final attempt to seal the deal. Neeraj has notched his career's third-best throw and has also qualified for the 2023 World Championships.
Neeraj was forced to withdraw from 2022 CWG
The 24-year-old Neeraj was ruled out of 2022 Commonwealth Games after he got injured in the finals of World Athletic Championship, where he secured the silver medal. He suffered a groin injury during the World Championship final and underwent an MRI scan thereafter. Neeraj was then advised one-month rest by the doctors.
Chopra scripted history at World Athletics Championships
Last month, Chopra clinched the silver medal at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon (men's javelin throw final). The 24-year-old finished second with a best throw of 88.13m. Meanwhile, Grenada's Anderson Peters won the gold medal (90.54m). Chopra became only the second Indian to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships after long jumper Anju Bobby George (bronze in 2003).
A look at Chopra's notable achievements
Earlier last month, Chopra broke his national record at the Stockholm Diamond League (89.94m). In 2021, Chopra won gold at Meeting Cidade de Lisboa (83.18m) and the Folksam Grand Prix in Sweden (80.96m). Chopra then became the second Indian to clinch an individual Olympic gold (Tokyo Games) after former shooter Abhinav Bindra. The former had claimed Independent India's first medal in athletics.
Chopra has been in fine form of late
Chopra won the gold at Athletics Central North West League Meeting in 2020. In 2021, he won a gold at the Meeting Cidade de Lisboa. He won gold at Folksam Grand Prix before a bronze at Kuortane Games and an Olympic gold. In 2022, he claimed silver at Paavo Nurmi Games. He won silver at Diamond League and World Athletics Championships.
