Every time Neeraj Chopra turns up for a competition, the talk revolves around the 90m throw, as the magic mark had eluded him the entire last season. Gearing up for his first event of the new season, the reigning World and Olympic champion is now looking forward to breaking the 90m barrier before he sets his eyes on defending his crown at the Paris Olympics, later this year in July-August.

“This year, my personal goal is to defend my Olympic title, but it would also mean a lot to me to break the 90m barrier. The Doha meeting, with good conditions and a great atmosphere, is a perfect opportunity to get my season off to the best start,” Neeraj said.

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The 26-year-old will start his 2024 season at the Qatar Sports Club in May this year when he competes in the Doha Diamond League. He also became the first ever Indian athlete to be crowned the Diamond League champion when he clinched the Diamond Trophy in 2022.

At the Doha meet, Neeraj is expected to face a stellar challenge against the likes of Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch and former world champion Anderson Peters. Last year, at the Doha Diamond League meet, Neeraj had defeated both Vadlejch and Peters with an impressive 88.67m heave.

Also competing is 2022 Asian Games silver medallist and Chopra’s compatriot Kishore Kumar Jena, who reached the finals of the World Championships in Budapest last year. Jena has a personal best of 87.54m.

“Last year my dream was to win the World Championships, but to have three Indian athletes competing in the final – that shows we’re progressing as a nation,” said Neeraj.

The others in contention to win the Doha meet are European champion Julian Weber (Germany, personal best of 89.54m), World Championships finalist Oliver Helander (Fimland, PB 89.83m), Qatari national record holder Ahmed Bader Magour (Qatar, PB 85.23m), World University Games champion Edis Matusevicius (Lithuania, PB 89.17m), Asian champion and Asian Games bronze medallist Roderick Genki Dean (Japan, PB 84.28m), Moldovan record holder and Olympic finalist Andrian Mardare (Moldova, PB 86.66m) and Pan American Games champion Curtis Thompson (USA, PB 87.70m).

The Panipat thrower also expressed his gratitude to the fans, who thronged in large numbers last season to catch a glimpse of the Olympic gold medallist in action.

“I’m always overwhelmed by the warm support I get from Indians across the world and in Qatar that is particularly special. I feel privileged that so many people come out to support me and I hope I can repay their faith in me with a good performance,” Neeraj said.

The Doha meeting is the third meeting of the 2024 Diamond League. The series comprises 15 meetings in total across four different continents, starting with Xiamen on April 20 and concluding with a single final across two days in Brussels (September 13-14).