New Delhi: Olympic and world champion, Neeraj Chopra, narrowly missed out the top spot at the Doha Diamond League javelin throw event on Friday. His final throw of 88.36m was just two centimeters short of Czech Republic veteran Jakub Vadlejch’s winning effort of 88.38m.
The 26 year old Chopra, trailed Vadlejch throughout the competition and despite a valiant final round throw, he was unable to defend the title he had won last year. Two-time world champion Anderson Peters secured third place with a best throw of 86.62m.
Meanwhile, Kishore Jena’s Diamond League debut ended in disappointment as he was eliminated after three rounds of throws, with his best being 76.31m. The 28-year-old, who won a silver medal in the Hangzhou Asian Games last year with a personal best of 87.54m, finished ninth after three throws.
Vadlejch, the winner of the event, had previously won a silver in the Tokyo Olympics and a bronze in the 2023 World Championships, the same events where Chopra had clinched gold. Last year, Chopra had won the Doha Diamond League with a throw of 88.67m, ahead of Vadlejch (88.63m) and Peters (85.88m).
