With a record-breaking effort of 88.67m on his first try at the Qatar Sports Club in Doha on Friday, Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal at the Doha Diamond League 2023.
Chopra, who is known for his powerful starts, came very close to breaking the 89.94-meter national record and setting a new personal best.
Doha Diamond League
The Indian javelin ace improved on his initial throw with a second effort of 86.04 metres. Neeraj Chopra fouled his fourth throw after it measured 85.47 metres. His final two throws were 84.37 and 86.52 metres in length.
Neeraj Chopra finished first and received eight qualification points for the first leg thanks to his winning throw, which ultimately helped him win the gold. The top eight finishers in each round proceed to the Diamond League final, and noteworthy is that athletes competing in the Diamond League get points instead of medals. The event will take place in Eugene on September 16 and 17.
- At the Doha Diamond League 2023, Neeraj Chopra took home the gold medal.
- The Indian javelin ace improved on his initial throw with a second effort of 86.04 metres.
- The top eight finishers in each round proceed to the Diamond League final.
With a throw of 88.63 metres in the second round, Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, who took home the silver medal, was only four centimetres off Chopra’s greatest distance.
At the Olympics in Tokyo, Vadlejch won a silver medal. His previous silver medal in the Doha Diamond League came after a throw of 90.88 metres.
Anderson Peters of Grenada, the current world champion, came in third with a modest best throw of 85.88 metres after winning the competition here last year with a huge throw of 93 metres. Neeraj’s next performance will take place on June 27 in the Golden Spike Ostrava competition in the Czech Republic.
