Watch: Neeraj Chopra's record throw ahead of World Championships
India’s Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra again bettered his own national record to finish second at the Diamond League meeting in Sweden’s capital Stockholm on Thursday (June 30).
He is the second Indian to finish in the top three in a Diamond League competition after discus thrower Vikas Gowda.
Also read: Kuortane Games: Neeraj Chopra wins gold in ‘tough conditions’
The 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Gowda, who retired in 2017, had finished in the top three in a Diamond League event four times in his career.
He finished second in 2012 (New York) and 2014 (Doha) and third in Shanghai and Eugene in 2015.
Chopra was making his first Diamond League appearance in four years after his fourth-place finish in Zurich in August 2018. He has participated in seven Diamond League meets – three in 2017 and four in 2018.
The 24-year-old Chopra opened with a stunning throw of 89.94 metres, just 6 cm shy of the 90m mark, the gold standard in the world of javelin throw and that effort eventually turned out to be his best as he finished second.
His other throws measured 84.37 m, 87.46 m, 84.77 m, 86.67 and 86.84 m. He bettered his earlier national record of 89.30 m, which his spear had travelled while finishing second in the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, on June 14.
Sharing the video of his national record throw, Chopra wrote on Twitter, “It felt amazing to be back on the Diamond League circuit and even better to get a new PB! All the throwers put up a great show tonight for the crowd in Stockholm! Next stop – Representing India at the World Championships in Eugene.”
It felt amazing to be back on the Diamond League circuit and even better to get a new PB!
All the throwers put up a great show tonight for the crowd in Stockholm!Next stop ➡️ Representing 🇮🇳 at the World Championships in Eugene pic.twitter.com/OpiXyrp4wv
— Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) June 30, 2022
The World Championships will be held from July 15 to 24 in Eugene, USA.
World champion and season leader Anderson Peters of Grenada won the competition with a best throw of 90.31 m which he came up with in this third attempt.
“Today, I feel good and after first throw, I thought I could throw even over 90m today. But it is OK as I have more competitions coming this year,” Chopra said after the event.
“I am close to 90m now and I can throw it this year. Despite the fact that I did not win tonight, I feel very good because I did my best.”
Breaching milestones & breaking records – just @Neeraj_chopra1 things 🤷♂️😎
Relive 🇮🇳’s 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐲 set a new National Record & follow his journey only on #Sports18 – The Home of #NeerajChopra 💪📽️#StockholmDL #DiamondLeague #HeroesHaveANewHome pic.twitter.com/KEVVjV5pQk
— Sports18 (@Sports18) July 1, 2022
Peters has thrown 90m-plus twice this season – 93.07 m while winning the Doha leg of the Diamond League last month before 90.75 m effort at Hengelo in the Netherlands.
Julian Weber of Germany was third with a fifth round throw of 89.08m while Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch (88.59m) of Czech Republic was fourth. Another Czech athlete and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Vitezslav Vesely was seventh in the eight-man field with 82.57m.
Chopra has beaten Peters twice this month. First was in in Turku where the athlete from Grenada was third and in the Kuortane Games, also in Finland, where the Indian superstar had won gold with a best throw of 86.69 m under wet and slippery conditions.
(With inputs from agencies)
