Neeraj Chopra has emerged as one of India's most prominent sporting figures. As the face of javelin throw in India, he has achieved remarkable success by securing every major medal in the sport, including a historic Olympic gold in Tokyo and a silver medal in Paris. Despite his impressive accomplishments, Neeraj remains unsatisfied, believing that he has even greater throws within him.
As India continues to support its champion athlete in his pursuit of further accolades for the nation, the question of whether he will participate in the Zurich Diamond League 2024 looms large in the minds of Indian sports fans.
Neeraj, a two-time Olympic medalist, has opted to skip the Diamond League meet that takes place in Zurich on Thursday, 5 September.
Neeraj Chopra currently holds the joint-third position in the 2024 Diamond League men’s javelin standings, having accumulated 14 points from two appearances. He secured second place in the Doha and Lausanne meets on 10 May and 22 August, respectively.
In the Diamond League, the top six athletes in all field events qualify for the final. Germany’s Julian Weber is tied with Chopra at 14 points, sharing the third spot with the two-time Olympic medallist. Ukraine’s Artur Felfner and Moldova’s Andrian Mardare occupy the fifth and sixth positions with 9 and 8 points, respectively.
Even if Weber, Felfner, and Mardare were to surpass Chopra, he would still qualify for the final in the sixth spot. Roderick Genki Dean, currently in seventh place with six points, can only match Chopra's score by winning the Zurich meet and earning eight points.
However, Dean would need to surpass Chopra's season-best throw of 89.49 meters, achieved in Lausanne last month, to secure a higher position in the standings.
Chopra set his season-best throw of 89.45 meters at the Paris Olympics last month, only to surpass it by four centimeters at the Lausanne Diamond League meet in August. Despite his impressive performances, Chopra was unable to secure a gold medal on both occasions due to 90-meter throws from his competitors. Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan set a new Olympic record with a throw of 92.97 meters in Paris, while Peters won the Lausanne event with a 90.61-meter throw.
Dealing with a persistent groin issue in recent months, the 26-year-old Chopra came close to breaking the 90-meter mark for the first time in his career. He aims to achieve this milestone while winning the Diamond League Trophy for the second time in three years in the Belgian capital
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