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Hindustan Times
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Chopra seeks first major title of season, up against Weber in Paris Diamond League
Paris, Having breached the 90m mark, two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra would now be eyeing a top finish when he goes up against familiar rivals in the prestigious Paris Diamond League on Friday in a star-studded field here. Chopra, German ace Julian Weber and two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada will be among eight competitors vying for top honours in the second DL meeting of the season featuring men's javelin throw on the roster. Five of the listed throwers have hit the 90m mark. Weber had upstaged Chopra in the Doha DL on May 16 after the Indian superstar finally breached the elusive 90m mark. Weber had recorded 91.06m with his last throw to trump Chopra who had sent his spear to a distance of 90.23m in the same event. The 31-year-old Weber had also beaten Chopra at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial meet on May 23 in Poland where both performed below their best under chilly and overcast conditions. Weber had produced 86.12m while Chopra could only come up 84.14m to finish second. Peters was there in the field too at both the Doha DL and the Poland event. He had finished third in both. In Paris, Chopra would look to upstage Weber after finishing second in back-to-back competitions as he returns to the French capital after eight years for a Diamond League competition. Chopra had skipped the Paris DL last year in order to focus on the Olympic Games where he took the silver with a throw of 89.45m. He last competed in the Paris DL in 2017 as a junior world champion and finished fifth with a throw of 84.67m. In the eight-man field at the Charlety Stadium on Friday, five have crossed the 90m mark. Chopra and Weber were the latest entrants to the exclusive club. Peters has already done it in 2022. Kenya's 2015 world champion Julius Yego and Trinidad and Tobago's 2012 Olympics gold-winner Keshorn Walcott are the other two in the 90m club. Both achieved the feat back in 2015 and since then their performances have declined. "Few meetings can boast a field of five javelin throwers over 90m. Foremost among them is Tokyo Olympic champion and Paris silver medallist Neeraj Chopra of India, who is as powerful as he is consistent," the Paris DL organisers stated in a promotional release for the event. The other three in the eight-man field are Luiz Mauricio Da Silva of Brazil, who has a season's as well as personal best of 86.34m, Andrian Mardare of Moldova and Remi Rougetet of France. Chopra began the 2025 season with a title in an invitational meet at Potchefstroom, South Africa, which was a minor category F event with a throw of 84.52m. Four days after the Paris DL, Chopra will compete at the Golden Spike athletics meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic on June 24. After that, the reigning world champion will feature in the inaugural edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic on July 5 in Bengaluru, a World Athletics category A event which he is hosting. Peters, Yego and Da Silva will also be there in the NC Classic.
NDTV
5 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Neeraj Chopra Aims Top Spot At Paris Diamond League After Back-To-Back Second-Place Finishes
Neeraj Chopra will be eyeing the first major title of the season after finishing second in back-to-back competitions as the superstar Indian javelin thrower returns to the Paris Diamond League after eight years to compete in a top-class field on June 20. The 27-year-old Indian had skipped the Paris DL last year in order to focus on the Olympic Games in the French capital. He last competed in the Paris DL in 2017 as a junior world champion and had finished fifth with a throw of 84.67m. The Paris organisers are yet to publish the full list of competitors but they announced that Chopra and two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada would be among five entrants who have already crossed the 90m mark. "Javelin throwers Neeraj Chopra, a double Olympic medalist, and Anderson Peters, a double world champion, are among the five entrants who have already crossed the 90m line in a competition that promises to be a crazy one," the organisers said. Peters had finished third behind Chopra in both Doha Diamond League on May 16 and Janusz Kusocinski Memorial meet in Poland on May 23. Chopra began the 2025 season with a title in an invitational meet at Potchefstroom, South Africa, which was a minor -- category F -- event with a throw of 84.52m. He then finally breached the elusive 90m mark with a throw of 90.23m at Doha Diamond League on May 16 though German Julian Weber won the top spot with 91.06m. A week later, the double Olympic medallist again finished second behind Weber at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial meet in Poland with a best throw of 84.14m, which was a below-par show considering his high standards, though the competition was held under chilly and overcast conditions. Chopra would be looking to make amends in his second DL outing of the season in Paris on June 20 at the venue where he had won his second Olympic medal -- a silver -- in August last year. Four days after the Paris DL, Chopra will compete at the Golden Spike 2025 athletics meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic on June 24. After that, the reigning world champion Indian will feature in the inaugural edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic on July 5 in Bengaluru, a World Athletics category A event which he is hosting.
