Neeraj Chopra secured the second position at the Lausanne Diamond League 2026, which took place at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise in Switzerland on August 21. The two-time Olympic champion achieved his best throw of 88.05m, marking his season’s peak.
He narrowly missed the top spot, finishing just nine centimeters behind Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage, who clinched the title with a remarkable throw of 88.14m. Grenada’s Anderson Peters took third place with a throw of 86.69 meters.
Pathirage also earned gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last month, while Neeraj had to settle for silver.
Neeraj began with 83.54m
The Indian javelin star opened with a throw of 83.54m, following Pathirage’s impressive first attempt of 85.99m. The Sri Lankan athlete continued to excel, achieving a second throw of 87.06m.
Neeraj took the lead on his second attempt
After failing to surpass the 85m mark in his initial throw, Neeraj made a significant impact with his second attempt, launching the javelin to 88.05m, which placed him in the lead. This throw was his best performance of the season.
Pathirage regained the lead in the third round
However, Neeraj’s lead was short-lived as Pathirage responded in the third round with an 88.14m throw, securing the Lausanne Diamond League title. Neeraj recorded a no mark in his fourth attempt, skipped the fifth, and finished with a throw of 82.51m in his final attempt.
Neeraj’s second-best throw in the Diamond League
Neeraj’s throw of 88.05 meters stands as his best since his 88.16-meter performance during his victory at the Paris Diamond League in June 2025. Nevertheless, he finished second in the Diamond League Final held in Zurich.