Neeraj Chopra secured second place in the Lausanne Diamond League with his best throw of 89.49m. Grenada’s Anderson Peters claimed first place with a remarkable final throw of 90.61m. Although Neeraj struggled with throws in the 83m range for most of the evening, two crucial throws in his fifth and sixth attempts preserved his track record of consistently finishing in the top two in international competitions.
The 26-year-old initially struggled, with his throws measuring 82.10m, 83.21m, and 83.13m. His difficulty in improving his distance allowed competitors like Peters, Julian Weber, Artur Felfner, and Roderick Dean Genki to surpass him. Neeraj was in fourth place until the end of the fourth round. However, the reigning World Champion pushed himself to throw 85.58m in his fifth attempt, breaking into the top three and keeping himself in contention for the final throw.
The last time Neeraj finished outside the top three was at the Diamond League in Zurich in 2018. Fortunately for the Indian athlete, Lausanne 2024 did not become a disappointing event for him and his supporters.
Peters delivered his best performance with a final throw of 90.61m, setting both his season’s best and a meet record. Meanwhile, Weber could only achieve 82.33m on his last throw. Neeraj, who threw last, gave everything in his final attempt but was disappointed as the javelin landed just shy of the 90m mark. His 89.49m throw was his season’s best and the second-best of his career, but it still fell short of the elusive 90m distance.