The series reads foul, 83.80m, 81.37m, foul, 80.74 and 80.90m for Chopra’s second throw, which was his best throw of the day.
Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, an Olympic and world champion, was unable to successfully defend his title as Diamond League champion, placing second with a meager effort of 83.80m in the championship match here.
The 25-year-old Chopra, who won his first gold medal at the World Championships last month, found it difficult to perform at his peak during the winner-takes-all Finals of the 13-leg one-day meeting series on Saturday night at Hayward Field.
His best throw of the day was the second throw, with the series showing foul, 83.80m, 81.37m, foul, 80.74 and 80.90m. He fouled both of his efforts.
Chopra’s throw of less than 85 meters was his first of the year. At the third position, he had earned a spot in the DL Finals. With a throw of 88.44m, he had won the 2022 DL Finals in Zurich.
Under conditions of 25 degrees Celsius and 45 percent humidity, no competitor could reach 85 meters. Although they are less well known than javelin throw, other field events competed at the same time displayed a large range in wind speed data.
With his sixth and final attempt, Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic won the Diamond League for the third time with a best throw of 84.24 meters. His first-round performance of 84.01m put him in the lead over the other five competitors right away.
In addition to winning the DL title in 2017 and 2018, Vadlejch also took home the bronze at the world championships held in Budapest in August and the silver at the Olympics in Tokyo behind Chopra.
Third place went to Oliver Helander of Finland, who had a best throw of 83.74 meters.
Anderson Peters, a two-time world champion, continued his miserable season by coming in last with a throw of 74.71 meters.
Vadlejch received the DL Trophy and $32,000 in prize money, while Chopra received $12,000 for coming in second.
When asked about his influence on Indian athletics, Chopra responded, “After the Indians won the Olympic gold, they also believed that we could win. The World Championships in Budapest, where I competed and won gold, will affect Indian athletics in some way.
Chopra had placed second at the 2022 World Championships at this same location.
Before winning a historic gold at the World Championships last month, the Indian, who has a personal best of 89.94m and a season’s best of 88.77m, won two solo DL competitions in Doha on May 5 and Lausanne on June 30.
He had won the world championship in Budapest with a throw of 88.17 meters, making him just the third javelin thrower in history to capture both the Olympic and World Championship titles.
On August 31, just a few days after winning the World Championships title, he participated in the Zurich DL leg and finished in second place against Vadlejch, who had previously defeated the Indian in both of their previous meetings.
Chopra will now travel to the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, starting later this month, where he will defend the gold medal he won in Indonesia in 2018.
Asian Games in China are my next competition, Chopra remarked.
“In large competitions, mentality is key; self-preparation is not necessary. We shall be mentally and physically prepared for the competition when we enter the stadium.
In reference to his camaraderie with his rivals, he remarked, “I really like to compete with these guys, all of us are good friends, and we’re competing in a very good way.”
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