Reigning Olympic and World Javelin Throw Champion Neeraj Chopra will start his season at the Doha leg of the prestigious Diamond League Series on May 10 in front of a star-studded venue. Chopra, 26, who ended last season with a gold medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, is aiming to defend his Olympic gold in Paris later this year. Chopra’s compatriot Kishore Jena, who finished fifth at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest and won silver in Hangzhou with a personal best of 87.54m, will make his Diamond League debut in the Qatari capital.
Chopra will face off against his high-profile opponents such as Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, who won silver at the Tokyo Olympics and bronze at the 2023 World Championships, and former world champion Anderson Peter of Grenada Anderson Peters.
“My personal goal this year is to defend my Olympic title, but breaking the 90m barrier also means a lot to me. The conditions at the Doha meeting are great, the atmosphere is great and it’s a great opportunity to get my season off to the best possible start .” said Chopra, who had a personal best score of 89.94m.
“I’m always overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from Indians around the world and in Qatar and this is particularly special. I’m honored that so many people have come out to support me and I hope I can repay them with a good performance. Trust. Performance.” Other players participating in the Qatar Sports Club competition include European champion Germany’s Julian Weber (PB 89.54m), Germany’s Oliver Holland (PB 89.83m), Qatar record holder Ahmed ·Badr Magur (PB 85.23m), Lithuanian record holder and world record holder. University Games champion Edis Matusevicius (PB 89.17m) and Asian Games bronze medalist Roderick Genki Dean of Japan (PB 84.28m).
Chopra leads the 2023 season with a throw of 88.67m, ahead of Vadlejch and Peters.
The javelin event has gained a reputation for its high quality in recent years, and if conditions permit, the main protagonists on May 10 will be highly anticipated.
Peters, who finished third 12 months ago, set the national record in 2022 and the fifth-longest throw in history (93.07m), while reigning Diamond League champion Wadleh lost to Chopra in 2023 Finished second and set a personal best in 2022. A memorable 2022 match was his first throw over 90m (90.88m).
Chopra’s continued excellence has raised the bar for Indian athletes.
“My dream last year was to win the World Championships, but three Indian athletes were in the final – that shows we are improving as a country,” he said.
The Doha meeting is the third tournament in the 2024 Diamond League series, which includes a total of 15 games across four continents, starting in Xiamen on April 20 and ending over two days in Brussels (September 13 to The single final held on the 14th ended.
The first two games in Xiamen and Shanghai did not include men’s javelin as a Diamond League event.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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