Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra has secured his place in the Diamond League Final in Brussels, keeping his hopes of ending the 2026 season with another major title alive.
Chopra qualified for the season-ending event despite skipping the Diamond League meeting in Zurich on August 27. The final is scheduled to take place in Brussels on September 4 and 5.
The two-time Olympic medallist accumulated enough qualification points from his two Diamond League appearances this season to finish among the athletes heading to the final.
Chopra’s road to the Diamond League Final
Chopra began his Diamond League campaign in Doha on June 19, where he finished fourth with a throw of 85.69 metres. He returned to action at the Lausanne Diamond League meeting on August 21 and produced a significant improvement.
The Indian star registered a season-best 88.05m in Lausanne to finish second behind Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage. The performance earned Chopra seven qualification points and proved crucial to his place in the Brussels final.
His Doha fourth-place finish had earlier earned him five points, taking his total to 12 qualification points.
Chopra subsequently skipped the Zurich meeting, but his existing tally was enough to secure qualification.
Rumesh Pathirage leads the javelin standings
Pathirage has emerged as Chopra’s biggest rival this season. The Sri Lankan defeated the Indian star in Lausanne and then produced a spectacular 92.07m throw to win the Zurich Diamond League meeting.
His latest performance has placed him at the top of the javelin standings heading into the final.
Anderson Peters, Keshorn Walcott and Curtis Thompson are also among the leading competitors expected to feature in Brussels.
Kenya’s Julius Yego entered the Zurich meeting with nine points and finished fifth with an 81.66m throw, taking his tally to 13 points.
Chopra eyes another Diamond League crown
The Brussels final offers Chopra another opportunity to add to his already impressive Diamond League record.
He made history in 2022 by becoming the first Indian to win the Diamond League title. Since then, he has finished runner-up three times.
The Indian athlete will now look to reclaim the prestigious season-ending trophy after a season in which Pathirage has repeatedly challenged him.
Chopra also won silver at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow before his Lausanne appearance, recording an 85.83m throw.
How the Diamond League qualification works
The Diamond League Final is the culmination of a 14-meeting series held between May and September. Athletes earn qualification points based on their finishing positions at the eligible meetings.
The winner of a qualifying event receives eight points, while second place earns seven, followed by six, five, four, three, two and one point for positions three through eight.
With his 12 points secured across Doha and Lausanne, Chopra has done enough to reach Brussels.
The final will provide another high-profile showdown between Chopra and Pathirage, who has held the upper hand over the Indian star on several occasions in 2026. For Chopra, the September event represents a chance to turn that rivalry around and finish the season on top.
