Paris Diamond League Live Updates: Neeraj maintains lead from Weber

India Today

4 hours ago

Another foul throw from Neeraj as his 5th attempt also fails help him go past the 90m mark. Weber is yet to challenge Neeraj after the initial throw and gets 84.5 with his fifth attempt. You can never rule out the German and all eyes will be on the final throw as both men will go head-to-head.
The temperature has started to drop at the venue and this could have an effect on throws going forward. Neeraj maintains the lead but will need to improve in his final two throws to seal the deal.
The Indian ace hasn't been able to get his rhythm right in the last two attempts, with his fourth throw also being called as a foul one. Thankfully for Neeraj, Weber is yet to better his tally and get close to the Indian ace as he produces 83.13 m in his fourth attempt.
A sensational throw of 86.62 m saw Luiz Mauricio overtake Keshorn Walcott and claim the third spot. Once again, Neeraj is maintaining the lead at the moment as we head into the final three throws.
The third attempt from Neeraj Chopra has been a foul throw and it hasn't been recorded. Weber's attempt wasn't the best as well as he got 82.03 m with his third attempt, meaning that the Indian ace maintains his lead for now.
After the end of the second round of throws, Neeraj still holds a slender lead over Weber. Walcott is in third at the moment but he is still far away from the top two.
Neeraj hit 85.10 m with his second attempt but retains the lead for now as Weber could only muster 86.20 in this round. Peters bettered his first attempt with a 80.25 m throw in the second one. Keshorn Walcott maintains his spot in the top three with a 81.66 m throw in his second attempt.
After the first round of throws, it is Neeraj who is leading the way followed by Weber and Peters. It does seem like it will be a shoot-out between Neeraj and Weber for the top spot, as it had been the case in Doha.
Julian Weber is keeping the pressure on Neeraj with an 87.88 m throw with his first attempt. Neeraj still retains the lead after throwing 88.16 m with his first throw.
A fantastic start from the Indian star as he hits 88.16 m with his first throw and has taken the early lead at the event. Can he go past 90 m once again?
The javelin event is underway and Anderson Peters gets things up and running with a 77.89 m. Neeraj is up next...
Neeraj Chopra will be going second in the javelin event at the Paris Diamond League. Anderson Peters will start the proceedings with Julian Weber going third.
When it comes to Diamond League events in Paris, Neeraj last competed in 2017 when he was the junior world champion. That time around, he finished fifth with a best throw of 84.67 m.
Neeraj will be up against Weber once again, who will form a formidable lineup that will contain the likes of Andersen Peters, Julius Yego and Keshorn Walcott. In fact, out of the eight participants, five have a personal best above 90 metres.
Peters achieved the mark in 2022 and has the best personal throw (93.07 m) amongst the eight participants. He also took part in the Doha Diamond League and the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland and finished in the third spot.
PARIS DIAMOND LEAGUE START LIST
Neeraj Chopra - Season Best: 90.23 | Personal Best: 90.23
Anderson Peters - Season Best: 85.64 | Personal Best: 93.07
Julian Weber - Season Best: 91.06 | Personal Best: 91.06
Keshorn Walcott - Season Best: 84.65 | Personal Best: 90.16
Julius Yego - Season Best: 83.08 | Personal Best: 92.72
Luiz Mauricio da Silva - Season Best: 86.34 | Personal Best: 86.34
Andrian Mardare - Season Best: 80.51 | Personal Best: 86.66
Remi Rougetet - Season Best: 80.49 | Personal Best: 80.49
Neeraj started his year by winning the Potch Invitational Meet in Potchefstroom, South Africa, in April with a modest throw of 84.52 m. His first Diamond League appearance was in Doha, where he broke the 90-metre jinx and finished second behind Weber. The German upstaged Neeraj once again at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland last month with a throw of 86.12 m.
Neeraj was able to hit 84.14m on a wet and tricky evening.
The coaching changes he made after the end of last season have worked wonders for Neeraj as Jan Zelezny, the world record holder in javelin, has given him a new perspective to things. Now, the aim is to get that first title in the bag, especially with the Neeraj Chopra Classic in India just a few weeks away.
"Not just for me, but at least for Indians, the burden has been reduced." These were the words of Neeraj Chopra when he was finally able to break the 90-metre mark at the Doha Diamond League in May this year. It was a dragon that Neeraj had been chasing for quite some time after starting his journey in 2018. He came close a few times but was never really able to get over the line. But finally, at the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium, Neeraj was able to hit 90.23 m and get the monkey off his back.
However, that wasn't enough for him to get the win on the day as Germany's Julian Weber was able to produce a throw of 91.06 m with his final throw in Doha and claim the top step of the podium. Now, in a stacked card that includes some big names, the 27-year-old will look to go again, with a first title win in mind.
This will be the first time in eight years that Neeraj will compete in a Diamond League event in Paris. He had skipped the event last year to focus on the Paris Olympics, where he finished with a silver medal. The last time he took part was as a junior world champion, and he finished fifth with the best throw of 84.67 m. Since then, the legend of Neeraj has grown, adding an Olympic gold and silver to his name.