Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra created sports history in Lausanne by being the first Indian to triumph in a Diamond League competition. He achieved this distinction on On August 26, 2022,
Neeraj Chopra also qualified for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary by breaching the 85.20m qualifying mark.
The javelin thrower, 24, who captured silver at the World Championships in the USA last month—a first for the nation—opened with a strong 89.08m, which ultimately proved to be the winning throw.
Neeraj Chopra Qualifies for the World Cup 2023
Chopra’s qualification for the Diamond League finals in Zurich the following month was also aided by the victory.
Neeraj Chopra, who missed the most recent Commonwealth Games in Birmingham due to an injury, passed his third and fifth tries in the event and had three valid throws (85.18 in second and 80.04 in sixth).
Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch, the Tokyo Olympic silver medallist who began as the top seed in Lausanne with a season best of 90.88m, finished second 85.88 while American Curtis Thompson was third with 83.72.
“I am delighted with my result tonight. 89m is a great performance. I am specially pleased as I am coming back from an injury and tonight was a good indicator that I have recovered well,” Chopra said after the event.
“I had to skip Commonwealth Games due to injury and I was a bit nervous. Tonight has given me a lot of confidence to finish the season on a high, with a strong performance in Zurich DL Final.”
Chopra qualified for the Diamond League Finals in Zurich on September 7 and 8, and also became the first Indian to do so. Despite the win, he remained on fourth spot with 15 points — with the addition of eight points on Friday. The top six after the Lausanne leg qualify for Zurich Finals.
