World Champion Neeraj Chopra left the best for last on Thursday evening at the Diamond League Final, producing an 85.01m throw on attempt number six and last to take second place. The Indian star had produced 84.35m on his previous effort to initially land in third position, then a series of three fouls, before he overtook Keshorn Walcott with the winning final attempt.
The podium finish also helped Chopra stretch his stellar record of 26 consecutive top-two finishes on the international circuit, a record that reflects his dominance of international javelin events.
The competition, staged just weeks before the forthcoming World Championships in Tokyo later this October, witnessed Chopra failing to defend his championship. His best 84.35m was short of his career best 90.23m in the seven-strong event. Though brilliance was evident at times, the reigning champion struggled with rhythm and technical proficiency all through the meet.
Germany’s Julian Weber emerged as the clear winner, unleashing a career-best throw of 91.37m in the very first round — a world-leading mark this season and an improvement on his previous best of 90.06m. The monster throw effectively ended the battle for gold within minutes.
Former World Champion Anderson Peters was content with fourth place with a 82.06m toss, as the majority of competitors, excluding Weber, were unable to find their best shape in the two-day competition.
Chopra, who took gold at the Tokyo Olympics and silver in Paris last year, started the night on 84.35m, which left him behind Weber and Walcott (84.95m). His second and third attempts were 79.91m and 82.00m, respectively, while Weber continued to be dominant with another huge 91.51m. Weber and Chopra both tried but fouled in the third round, while Chopra fouled again on his fourth and fifth attempts.
At the same time, Walcott could only throw 77.00m, while Weber went on to assert his dominance with 83.66m and 86.45m. Chopra was able to get back into his rhythm only in the last round, sending 85.01m past Walcott to claim the silver.
Chopra qualified for the season finale with a victory in Paris in June, throwing 88.16m. In Doha earlier this year, he shattered his national record and personal best with a stunning 90.25m throw — his first career throw over 90m. In Zurich, he had dreams of repeating that performance, but it wasn't meant to happen here.
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