In-form Chopra first Indian to win in Diamond League

A month after a groin strain ruled him out of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, India's javelin ace Neeraj Chopra made a triumphant return to the Lausanne Diamond League on Friday becoming the first Indian to win in this elite series. Chopra’s effort of 89.04m fetched him a berth in next month’s Diamond League Final in Zurich as well as the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, the qualifying mark for which was set at 85.20m.

Chopra’s opening throw remained the best in the eight-man field. In his only other Diamond League appearance this year in Stockholm, Chopra had finished second, behind Grenada’s Anderson Peters.

‘One and done’

Brandishing his famous flowing locks in sublime throwing conditions — the temperatures were in early 20s and humidity in mid 50s — Chopra stuck to his trusted ‘one and done’ template. As he had done at the Olympics, Stockholm Diamond League, and Worlds qualifying round, the 24-year-old imposed himself with his first throw itself before scaling down as the evening progressed. His second throw (85.18m) was the third best of the day; Chopra passed his third and fifth attempts, fouled on his fourth, and threw a modest 80.04m on his last go.

Although he was again tantalisingly close to the coveted 90m mark, the throw was enough to keep him clear of the field throughout the event. Only Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch offered a semblance of competition, finishing second with 85.88m. USA’s Curtis Thompson, with a best of 83.72m rounded off the top three.

Commenting on the elusive mark, Chopra said: “Everyone has been asking about 90m throw, it will happen when the time comes, I don’t feel any pressure about it as such.”

While Chopra was always expected to dominate the fairly depleted field — there was no Peters, Julian Weber, and Arshad Nadeem — what should give him greater joy is his ability to maintain form despite the injury disruption. Friday's effort was Chopra's third best of his career; his top two results have all come within three months since he resumed in June.

“It’s been a great year for me so far. I have gone over 89m thrice out of the five competitions, 88.3m in the World Championship, and managed to do well in Kuortane Games with 86.69m despite the challenging weather. So, the performance has been consistent and now the focus is on doing well in Zurich,” said Chopra.

Chopra strained his groin on his fourth throw at the Eugene World Championships and underwent four weeks’ rehabilitation in the southwestern German city of Saarbruecken. The injury meant he couldn't defend his CWG title, and the 24-year-old felt his season was done. The recovery, however, was quick.

"I had to skip CWG due to groin injury, and I felt that I will have to end the season. There wasn't much pain, so I had the belief that I will recover before the tournament. I made some good throws in the training and was feeling well. Hence we made the decision to compete here. I did my rehab in Germany with my coach and physio, and it went really well. I had very limited time to prepare but proper planning in rehab helped me recover quickly,” said the Worlds silver medallist.

Chopra will end the season with the two-day Diamond League Final from September 7 before heading into a busy 2023 where the line-up includes Asian Championships, Asian Games, and World Championships.

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