‘Super happy’: Neeraj Chopra on Lausanne Diamond League win

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra clinched the prestigious Diamond League title for the second consecutive time by throwing his spear to 8766m on Friday but the coveted 90m mark eluded the star Indian javelin thrower yet againComing back from a onemonth injury layoff Choprarsquos titlewinning performance at the Lausanne leg in challenging conditions was below his own Top 10 efforts but he still stamped his authority in the prestigious Oneday meetSkipped three top eventsThe 25yearold Chopra who had skipped three top events due to a muscle strain he sustained last month had won the seasonopening Diamond League in Doha on May 5 with his fourth careerbest throw of 8867mChopra who usually produces his best in early rounds had to wait till his fifth attempt to lead the field He was at second spot till the end of the fourth roundldquoI was feeling a bit nervous coming back from an injury It was a bit cold here tonight I am still far from my best but I feel it is getting betterrdquo Chopra said after his win It was a cloudy day with the temperature during the menrsquos javelin throw event recording 17 degrees celsius and humidity at 78 per centChopra begins with a foulldquoI am relieved it is coming together well for me A win is a win and I will take that happilyrdquoChopra began with a foul and then had 8352m and 8504m throws He had another foul in the fourth round before coming up with his titlewinning throw of 8766m next His sixth and last throw was 8415mGermanyrsquos Julian Weber was second with a best throw of 8703m while Tokyo Olympics silver medallist and seasonleader Jakub Vadlejch SB 8951m of the Czech Republic was third with an 8613m effort Reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada who has been struggling for form was fifth with a best throw of 8223mChopra had won the Lausanne leg in August last year also for his maiden Diamond League title A month later he became the first Indian Diamond League champion after winning the 2022 grand finale in ZurichThe Indian superstar who has a personal best of 8994m cemented his top spot in the Diamond League standings with 16 points followed by Vadlejch 13 points and Weber 12 points Following the Lausanne event menrsquos javelin throw will also be a part of the roster in the Monaco and Zurich legs on July 21 and August 31 respectively before the Diamond League grand finale in Eugene USA on September 1617Chopra will straight away compete in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest starting August 19 ldquoThe next competition Budapest will be a big one for merdquo he saidldquoI wanted to win so Irsquom super happy with the results but I also want to go back to training and fix some of the things that I noticed and those are going to make me strongerrdquoOn May 29 Chopra had issued a statement informing about his injury He pulled out of the FBK Games on June 4 at Hengelo the Netherlands Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku Finland on June 13 and Ostrava Golden Spike meet in Czech Republic on June 27 All the three meets were World Athletics Continental Tour gold events But he did not miss any Diamond League competition as the subsequent legs in Rabat Rome Paris and Oslo did not have menrsquos javelin events on the rosterSreeshankar finishes fifthIn the menrsquos long jump Indiarsquos Murali Sreeshankar finished fifth with a belowpar jump of 788m which he achieved in the third roundSreeshankar 24 who had clinched the third spot in the Paris leg on June 9 for his maiden Diamond League podium finish had produced a careerbest 841m during the National InterState Championships in Bhubaneswar earlier this monthAlso Read Diamond League 2023 Sreeshankar finishes fifth in long jump in Lausanne8766 mThe distance Neeraj Chopra hurled his javelin to win the titleTweet talkNarendra Modi narendramodiCongratulations to Neeraj_chopra1for shining at the Lausanne Diamond League Thanks to his extraordinary performances he has finished at the top of the table His talent dedication and relentless pursuit of excellence is commendableAbhinav Bindra Abhinav_BindraA big shoutout to Neeraj_chopra1 on his incredible victory at the Lausanne Diamond League Your triumph is a testament to your unwavering resilience and determination especially after coming back from injury Yogeshwar Dutt DuttYogiWill not stop will not get tired this is the lion of India Congratulations again and again to proud younger brother Neeraj Chopra for winning the title at Lausanne Diamond LeagueGautam Gambhir GautamGambhirIf consistency had a face NeerajChopraKiren Rijiju KirenRijijuCongratulations to Indian Kabaddi team on winning Asian Kabaddi Championship title Our players displayed exceptional skills and remarkable team efforts I also congratulate Indiarsquos javelin star Neeraj Chopra who won the menrsquos javelin throw title at Lausanne Diamond League series We are proud of our players who brought laurels for our countryAnurag Thakur ianuragthakurNeeraj is back with a bang with a massive throw of 8766m in his 5th attempt Neeraj_chopra1 dominates yet another Diamond League event finishing on top position in Menrsquos Javelin Throw event at LausanneDL Phenomenal effort by our TOPScheme athlete to make a blockbuster comeback after a muscle injury and make proud again Congratulations ChampionThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever