New Delhi: Already qualified for the Diamond League Final, Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra has decided to skip the last leg of the coveted series in Brussels, Belgium on Friday. Out of the total 14 Diamond League meetings, four have men’s javelin throw on their roster.
Neeraj competed in only two meetings but qualified for the DL final to held in Zurich, Switzerland on August 28. Prior to this, he had also skipper the Silesia leg on August 16. The 27-year-old reigning world champion, who has had a fabulous year, went past the coveted 90m mark at the Doha Diamond League in May, a record he had been chasing for quite some time.
Neeraj recorded a gigantic throw of 90.23m but unfortunately, finished second in the competition behind German javelin thrower Julian Weber. After the record win, Neeraj then went on to win the Paris Diamond League with a throw of 88.16 in June. Meanwhile, the top six after the Brussels leg will make it to the Diamond League Finals in Zurich.
Chopra’s last event NC classic
Neeraj Chopra’s last competitive event was on July 5 in Bengaluru at the Neeraj Chopra Classic. He threw 86.18m to win the title at the event which he hosted. In the current year so far, Chopra has competed in six events winning four times and finishing second twice. Neeraj will defend the title at the World Championships to be held in Tokyo from September 13-21.
Meanwhile, in the Diamond League, athletes compete for points at the 14 series meetings in a bid to qualify for the two-day Diamond League Final, which will be held in Zurich on August 27 and 28. This is considered an elite one-day meeting series in global athletics. The DL Final is a winner-takes-all competition and the champion in each of the 32 events is crowned Diamond League champion.
Each champion is awarded the iconic Diamond Trophy and a wild card for the World Athletics Championships. Men’s javelin event will be held on August 28 and the winner of each event will get a trophy and USD 30,000 as prize money.
(With PTI inputs)