Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra created history by becoming the first-ever Indian to win the prestigious Diamond League trophy. Achieving one of the biggest wins of his career, Chopra closed the match with the best throw of 88.44m in his second attempt.
The match did not start well for Chopra as Jakub Vadlejch from the Czech Republic took the lead with an 84.15m throw. Chopra’s first attempt was considered a ‘no throw’.
Chopra was able to turn the tables in his favour with his second attempt with an 88.4 m throw, which put him at the top of the leaderboard. Meanwhile, Vadlejch was chasing him with a throw of 86.00m. The star Indian javelin thrower maintained his top position with a throw of 88.00m.
In his third attempt, Chopra maintained his lead however his closest competitor Vadlejch lost momentum when his throw was judged as ‘no throw’. By the end of the fourth attempt, with a throw of 86.11 m, Chopra was still leading.
In the following attempts, Chopra threw an 87.00m throw while Vadlejch chased him with a throw of 83.95m. Vadlejch had a final chance to outdo Chopra but lost it after playing a foul throw. Earlier in August, Neeraj Chopra clinched the final throw competition at the Lausanne Diamond League Meeting title with a win. Neeraj had qualified for the Diamond League Finals after this win.
Taking to a microblogging site, Neeraj Chopra added, “Incredible feeling to close the 2022 season as a Diamond Trophy winner. The atmosphere was brilliant and it was extra special to have my uncle and friends in the stadium. Happy to win my first trophy! Sabhi ke pyaar aur support ke liye bahut bahut dhanyawad.”
Taking to a microblogging site, PM added, “Congratulations to Neeraj Chopra for scripting history yet again by becoming the first Indian to win the prestigious Diamond League Trophy. He has demonstrated great dedication and consistency. His repeated successes show the great strides Indian athletics is making.”