India’s javelin star after Commonwealth Games 2022 missing Neeraj Chopra Will Back in action at Diamond League meeting Friday (26 August) in Lausanne. The 24-year-old Olympic champion javelin thrower has recovered He suffered from a “minor” groin strain injury While winning the historic silver medal during the World Championships in Eugene, USA, last month.
Chopra began her season at the Pavo Nurmi Games in June where she broke her own national record with a throw of 89.30m. He later broke it again in the Stockholm Diamond League with a throw of 89.94m. Subsequently at the World Championships, Neeraj impressed againReceived his first medal, a silver medal.
Now a top three finish in Lausanne will see Chopra advance to the Diamond League final in Zurich on 7 and 8 September as she is fourth in the standings with seven points. He finished second on his first podium in the Stockholm leg on 30 June.
Feeling strong and ready for Friday. Thanks for the support everyone.
See you in Lausanne! @athletissima pic.twitter.com/wx52umcVtm— neeraj chopra (@neeraj_chopra1) 23 August 2022
The top six in the standings will advance to the Zurich final. The Lausanne event is the last stage of the men’s javelin throw competition.
It remains to be seen whether Chopra maintains his strong form this season even after a month of rehabilitation. He could become the first Indian to win a Diamond League meeting as the eight-man field is not that strong here.
Before Chopra, discus thrower Vikas Gowda is the only Indian to finish in the top three in the Diamond League meet. Gowda had finished twice in 2012 in New York and second in Doha in 2014 and Shanghai and Eugene on two occasions in 2015.
pic.twitter.com/wbO4RT2Pw1— neeraj chopra (@neeraj_chopra1) August 19, 2022
Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Jakob Vadlage of the Czech Republic, competing in Lausanne, is on top with 20 points, followed by Germany’s Julian Weber (19 points) and world champion Andersen Peters (16 points) of Granada. .
Webber is not taking part in Lausanne, as well as Peters who is recovering from injury after being attacked inside a boat in his home country earlier this month.
Trinidad and Tobago’s struggling Keshorn Walcott, the 2012 Olympic champion, is also in the fray.
Three athletes below Chopra in the Diamond League standings – Latvian Gatis Kaks and Patriks Gelmes, and USA’s Curtis Thompson are also participating here.
Earlier in the season, Chopra had said that he would like to do well in the Diamond Leg final.
Chopra’s season best is 89.94m, while Vadledge’s season best is 90.88m and Walcott’s 89.07m.
This will be Chopra’s second competition at the Diamond League meet this season. Earlier, he had finished fourth in Zurich in August 2018.
He has participated in eight Diamond League meets so far – three in 2017, four in 2018 and one this year. He had two fourths, the second being in Doha in May 2018, when he threw 87.43m before taking second place in Stockholm.
Chopra withdrew from the multi-sport event just two days before the Birmingham Commonwealth Games (July 28-August 8) after his medical team advised him to rest for four weeks.
After this he was resettled in Germany.
“Feeling strong and ready for Friday. Thanks for the support, everyone. See you in Lausanne!” Chopra tweeted on Monday.
with PTI input