Stockholm: Buoyed by a strong
start to the season, Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is primed
to clinch his maiden Diamond League medal in his first appearance in four years
in the prestigious one-day meet here on Thursday. The 24-year-old Chopra was
second in the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku with a big national record throw of
89.30m before winning his event at Kuortane Games with a creditable 86.60m
effort under treacherous conditions.
Both the events in Finland had
strong fields, though the Turku line-up had more stars than at Kuortane, where
Chopra slipped after an awkward release of his spear in his third attempt under
slippery conditions due to rains. Luckily, he was up on his feet immediately
and won the event without any injury.
This will be Chopra's first
competition in a Diamond League meet after his fourth-place finish in Zurich in
August 2018 with an effort of 85.73m. He has taken part in seven Diamond League
meets -- three in 2017 and four in 2018 -- but is yet to win a medal. He had
two fourth-place finishes, the other one being in Doha in May 2018, where he
had thrown 87.43m.
The prestigious one-day meet
at the Swedish capital will be Chopra's biggest event ahead of the World
Championships in Eugene, USA, next month. He will also be facing the toughest
field of the season so far with all the three Tokyo Olympics medallists in fray.
Germany's Johannes Vetter, who
has the maximum number of 90-plus throws among the active throwers, continues
to be in the sidelines. He is not fully fit and also did not take part in the
German nationals. (PTI)
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