c: India’s Neeraj Chopra, who recently claimed the title of the new world champion, secured the second position in the men’s javelin throw event at the Zurich Diamond League 2023 held in Switzerland on Friday.
During the event, Neeraj Chopra’s best attempt reached 85.71 meters, which he achieved with his final throw. The first place was secured by Jakub Vadlejch from the Czech Republic with a distance of 85.86 meters. Neeraj Chopra holds a national record with his best throw at 89.94 meters.
Zurich Diamond League 2023: Neeraj Chopra Claims Second Place in Javelin Throw
This outcome marked the end of Neeraj Chopra’s winning streak in the 2023 season. Before the Zurich meet, the Indian javelin throw champion had emerged victorious in the Diamond League legs in Doha and Lausanne, followed by a historic gold medal win at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
Reflecting on his performance, Neeraj Chopra stated, “I feel very good now, because everyone is a little tired after the World Championships – we gave our 100 percent there, but for this competition here my focus was to just stay healthy, and we have to focus now for Eugene (Diamond League Final) and then the Asian Games.”
He further explained, “For me, the focus was just to stay healthy and to give my 100 percent in my next competitions. Sometimes we need to read our body. Today, I feel OK, I am 100 percent OK, but I did not push too much. Sometimes, our No. 1 goal is to stay healthy. Today I gave it my best, but still with the focus to stay healthy.”
Taking place at the Letzigrund Stadium on a clear night, which was the same venue where he won the 2022 Diamond League championship, Neeraj Chopra commenced with a modest throw of 80.79 meters.
Although he fouled his second and third attempts, Neeraj Chopra managed to achieve 85.22 meters with his fourth attempt, elevating him to the second place behind Jakub Vadlejch, who recorded an 85.86-meter throw.
Chopra experienced another foul during his fifth attempt, yet he entered the three-way sixth-round showdown with Jakub Vadlejch, the silver medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and Julian Weber from Germany, the reigning European champion.
Following a foul by Vadlejch, Neeraj Chopra hurled a throw spanning 85.71 meters, which was just 0.15 meters short of Vadlejch’s leading mark. Julian Weber executed a commendable performance with an 84.92-meter throw.
Neeraj Chopra’s performance at Zurich Diamond League 2023: 80.79m, No mark, No mark, 85.22m, No mark, 85.71m
In the Diamond League series, athletes are awarded points based on their performance in each leg, and the top six athletes in each event at the conclusion of all the legs qualify for the Diamond League Final in Eugene in September.
Neeraj Chopra had already secured his place in the finals before participating in the Zurich meet.
Zurich Diamond League 2023 Men’s Javelin Throw Results:
- Jakub Vadlejch (CZE) – 85.86m
- Neeraj Chopra (IND) – 85.71m
- Julian Weber (GER) – 85.04m
- Oliver Helander (FIN) – 83.65m
- Edis Matusevicius (LTU) – 81.62m
- Anderson Peters (GRN) – 81.01m
- Roderick Genki Dean (JPN) – 79.93m
- Andrian Mardare (MDA) – 79.13m
- Dawid Wegner (POL) – 77.66m
- Timothy Herman (BEL) – 76.24m
Murali Sreeshankar, representing India, finished fifth in the men’s long jump event at Zurich with an impressive effort of 7.99 meters.
Murali Sreeshankar, who had previously secured a third-place finish at the Paris leg and a fifth-place finish in Lausanne, earned four qualifying points in Zurich, guaranteeing his spot in the Diamond League Final 2023. He became only the second Indian athlete, following Neeraj Chopra, to qualify for a Diamond League Final.
Starting with a strong 7.99-meter attempt, Murali Sreeshankar took the lead after the first round of jumps, surpassing Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou, the reigning Olympic, world, and Diamond League champion.
However, Tentoglou’s 8.04-meter jump in the second round pushed the Indian athlete into second place. Jamaica’s Tajay Gayle then took the lead with an 8.07-meter leap in the fourth round.
During the fifth round, Jarrion Lawson from the USA achieved an 8.05-meter jump, and Czech jumper Radek Juska recorded an 8.04-meter effort, dropping Murali Sreeshankar to fifth place. Unfortunately, only the top three participants were granted a sixth jump opportunity.
Ultimately, Miltiadis Tentoglou secured the top position with a clutch 8.20-meter jump on his final attempt, surpassing Tajay Gayle and Jarrion Lawson.
Murali Sreeshankar’s performance at Zurich Diamond League 2023: 7.99m, 7.96m, No Mark, 7.96m, 7.93m
Zurich Diamond League 2023 Men’s Long Jump Results:
- Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE) – 8.20m
- Tajay Gayle (JAM) – 8.07m
- Jarrion Lawson (USA) – 8.05m
- Radek Juska (CZE) – 8.04m
- Murali Sreeshankar (IND) – 7.99m
- Simon Ehammer (SUI) – 7.97m
- Christopher Mitrevski (AUS) – 7.81m
- William Williams (USA) – 7.81m
- Carey McLeod (JAM) – 7.60m
- Mattia Furlani (ITA) – 7.53m
