Neeraj Chopra Misses Diamond League Title by 1 cm, Finishes 2nd with 87.86m Throw
Neeraj Chopra finished second in the 2024 Diamond League final. He recorded his best throw of 87.86 meters in his third attempt, falling just 0.01 meters short of becoming the champion. Grenada’s Anderson Peters secured the first position with a best throw of 87.87 meters in his first attempt.
In his first attempt, Neeraj managed a throw of 86.82 meters. Germany’s Julian Weber finished third with a best throw of 85.97 meters. Seven javelin throwers participated in the final, out of which four couldn’t even cross the 83-meter mark.
The Diamond League final was held on the 13th and 14th of September at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium. On Friday, India’s Avinash Sable secured the ninth position in the 3000m steeplechase event.
Neeraj’s Best Throw Came in the Third Attempt
The javelin throw event began at 11:52 PM on Saturday night. Neeraj Chopra’s first attempt saw a throw of 86.82 meters, placing him in second position. Grenada’s Anderson Peters took the lead with a throw of 87.87 meters. Germany’s Julian Weber finished third with a throw of 85.97 meters.
In his first attempt, Neeraj recorded 86.82 meters to take second place. In his second attempt, Neeraj threw 83.49 meters and remained in second place. Neeraj’s third throw went 87.86 meters, just 0.02 meters short of the top position. In the fourth attempt, Neeraj managed 82.04 meters, still in second place. In the fifth attempt, he threw 83.30 meters and remained in second. In his sixth attempt, Neeraj achieved 86.46 meters, securing second place overall.
Neeraj Won Silver at the Paris Olympics
Neeraj Chopra had won a silver medal at the recently concluded Paris Olympic Games, achieving his season-best throw of 89.45 meters. Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won the gold medal with a throw of 92.97 meters. However, Nadeem was not part of the Diamond League.
Neeraj won the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, while Arshad Nadeem could not make it to the top 5 players. Neeraj also won the Diamond League final in 2022 and finished second in 2023.
World Championship Gold for Neeraj
After winning the Diamond League final in 2022, Neeraj Chopra also qualified for the 2023 World Championship. He had secured a silver medal in the championship held in Eugene in 2022. In 2023, he changed the medal’s color by winning gold. Neeraj also holds two gold medals from the Asian Games and one gold from the Commonwealth Games.
Avinash Sable Finished 9th in Steeplechase
Avinash Sable secured the ninth position in the 3000m steeplechase final of the 2024 Diamond League. He completed the race in 8:17.09 minutes at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. Kenya’s Amos Serem secured the first place, while Morocco’s Paris Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali finished second.
What is the Diamond League?
The Diamond League is an annual competition for athletes. It includes events like javelin throw, high jump, long jump, triple jump, pole vault, sprints, hurdles, steeplechase, discus throw, and shot put. Throughout the year, four qualifying events take place across various countries. Top-ranked athletes compete in the Diamond League final in September. The athlete who wins the final is crowned the Diamond League champion.
