Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra vowed to go one step ahead in the next Diamond League meeting after finishing a close second during the Doha leg here.
Chopra finished second at the Doha Diamond League as his big final effort of 88.36m fell short by just two centimeters of Jakub Vadlejch’s winning effort on Friday night.
The 26-year-old Chopra trailed the veteran Czech — who won the title with his third throw of 88.38m — throughout the competition.
Chopra, taking part in his first competition of the season, made a last ditch effort but the Indian superstar failed to defend the title.
Two-time world champion Anderson Peters took the third spot with a throw measuring 86.62m.
“The most important competition for me this year is Paris Olympics, but Diamond League meetings are important too. This was the opener for me this season, I finished second with a narrow two centimetres margin but next time I will try to draw far and try to win,” Chopra said.
The next Diamond League meeting which has men’s javelin as a discipline will be held in Paris on July 7.
Chopra also thanked the Indian diaspora in Qatar for supporting him.
“The support I am getting from the Indian people here in Qatar is always amazing, there aren’t words enough for me to thank them for their support.
“Maybe in some years the Indian will throw really far! I feel really proud that I am an Indian.”
Stay updated with the latest from IPL 2024, including top contenders for the IPL 2024 Orange Cap and IPL 2024 Purple Cap. Explore the complete IPL 2024 Schedule, IPL 2024 Points Table and players with the Most Sixes, Most Fours and Most Fifties in IPL 2024
At each DL meeting, athletes are awarded 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 points for ranking first to to eighth respectively.
The top six javelin throwers will compete in the Diamond League Finals in Brussels on September 13-14 and the winner will lift the DL champion’s trophy.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI)Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
