A file picture of Neeraj Chopra.
| Picture Credit score: Reuters
Reigning Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will start his season within the Doha leg of the celebrated Diamond League collection on Could 10 in a star-studded discipline.
The 26-year-old Chopra, who closed his previous season with a gold on the Asian Video games in Hangzhou, China final 12 months, is aiming to defend his Olympic gold in Paris later this 12 months.
Chopra’s compatriot Kishore Jena, who completed fifth within the 2023 Budapest World Championships and gained silver in Hangzhou with a private better of 87.54m, will probably be making his Diamond League debut on the Qatar capital.
Chopra will probably be up in opposition to his well-known rivals like Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch, who gained silver in Tokyo Olympics and bronze in 2023 World Championships and former world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada.
“This 12 months, my private purpose is to defend my Olympic title, however it might additionally imply lots to me to interrupt the 90m barrier. The Doha Assembly, with good circumstances and a terrific environment, is an ideal alternative to get my season off to the perfect begin,” Chopra, who has a private better of 89.94m, stated.
“I’m all the time overwhelmed by the nice and cozy help I get from Indians the world over and in Qatar that’s notably particular. I really feel privileged that so many individuals come out to help me and I hope I can repay their religion in me with a very good efficiency.” Others to take the sector on the Qatar Sports activities Membership embrace European champion Julian Weber of Germany (PB 89.54m), Oliver Helander of Germany (PB 89.83m), Qatari document holder Ahmed Bader Magour (PB 85.23m), Lithuanian document holder and World College Video games champion Edis Matusevicius (PB 89.17m) and Asian Video games bronze medallist Roderick Genki Dean of Japan (PB 84.28m).
Chopra had taken the highest spot right here within the 2023 season with a throw of 88.67m, forward of Vadlejch and Peters.
The javelin occasion has constructed a repute for its top quality lately and circumstances allowing, a lot will probably be anticipated of the important thing protagonists on Could 10.
Peters, who completed third 12 months in the past, delivered a nationwide document and the fifth-longest throw in historical past in 2022 (93.07m), whereas reigning Diamond League champion Vadlejch, who was runner-up to Chopra in 2023, recorded a private finest within the memorable 2022 assembly along with his first ever throw over 90m (90.88m).
Chopra’s continued excellence has raised the bar for Indian athletes.
“Final 12 months my dream was to win the World Championships, however to have three Indian athletes competing within the ultimate – that exhibits we’re progressing as a nation,” he stated.
The Doha Assembly is the third assembly of the 2024 Diamond League collection which contains 15 legs in complete throughout 4 completely different continents, beginning with Xiamen on April 20 and concluding with a single ultimate throughout two days in Brussels (September 13-14).
The primary two conferences in Xiamen and Shanghai should not have males’s javelin throw as Diamond League occasion.
