Neeraj Chopra made an impressive return to the competitive field as he bagged second place in the Doha Diamond League 2024 on Friday. India's top javelin thrower finished second behind veteran Jakub Vadlejch with his best attempt of 88.36 meters at Suheim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.
Neeraj, who bagged a Gold in the 2023 edition in Doha, failed to reach an 85-meter mark in his first two attempts but registered an 88.36m throw in the final round to clinch a second spot. India's other competitor Kishore Jena failed to impress after finishing ninth with his best attempt of 76.31 meters.
Vadlejch finished 88.38, just two centimetres ahead of Neeraj, to claim the top spot in Qatar. The Czech Republican legend had missed the top spot to Neeraj by four centimetres in the 2023 Doha Diamond League. Grenadian javelin thrower Anderson Peters finished third with his best throw of 86.62 meters.
Doha Diamond League 2024 standings (Men's Javelin)
- Jakub Vadlejch: 88.38m
- Neeraj Chopra: 88.36m
- Anderson Peters: 86.62m
- Oliver Helander: 83.99m
- Andrian Mardare: 81.33m
- Edis Matusevicius: 80.05m
- Roderick Genki Dean: 79.34m
- Julius Yego: 78.37m
- Kishore Jena - 77.31m
- Curtis Thompson - 73.46m
Neeraj, 26, fouled in his first attempt but made an impressive comeback with 84.93m and 86.24m throws in subsequent attempts. Jakub dominated the event with a lead from his first attempt and produced his best throw of 88.38m in his third attempt.
Asian Games 2022 gold medalist registered an 86.18m throw in his fourth attempt and 82.28m in the fifth. Jakub fouled in his last two attempts, giving Neeraj and Anderson a big chance to grab a top spot but both athletes failed to overcome their previous best in the sixth attempt. Anderson registered an 86.62m throw in the final attempt and Neeraj fell just 0.02 meters short of Vadlejch's 88.38m throw.
