Neeraj Chopra's Lausanne Diamond League schedule: Key details
Days after winning a historic silver a the 2024 Paris Olympics, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is set to compete at the Lausanne Diamond League in Switzerland. A star-studded field, including five of the top six athletes from the Paris 2024 Games, awaits Chopra. This will be his fifth competition of the season. Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who won the gold medal in Paris, will miss the event.
Ttiming, telecast details, and more
Chopra will take the field in the Diamond League javelin throw event on August 23 at 12:12am IST. The competition will be telecast live on the Sports 18 Network in India. Meanwhile, live streaming of the same is available on JioCinema. Notably, Chopra, ranked fourth in the field, can only qualify for the Diamond League final in Brussels (next month) after finishing inside the top six in Lausanne.
Chopra's best-ever throw
Chopra, who had previously secured a historic gold at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, finished second in the Doha Diamond League 2024 meeting at Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar. His best throw was recorded at 88.36 meters. As per Olympics.com, Chopra's best-ever throw reads 89.94m. This was accomplished at the Stockholm Diamond League in Sweden on June 30, 2022. The Indian javelin thrower now eyes the 90-meter mark.
A historic silver in Paris
Chopra is coming off a historic silver medal at the Paris Olympics. The Indian javelin thrower's long-standing Pakistani rival Arshad Nadeem spoiled his party with a monster throw of 92.97m, which is now an Olympic record. Chopra's throw of 89.45m on his second attempt handed him the silver medal. Nevertheless, Chopra scripted history by winning a second individual Olympic medal in athletics.
Chopra continues to train rigorously
Chopra has been training under the guidance of coach Klaus Bartonietz and physio Ishaan Marwaha. He also revealed that a groin injury sustained in Paris was carefully managed to prevent further damage. This has allowed him to consider participating in Lausanne on August 22.
