Diamond League 2023, HIGHLIGHTS: Neeraj wins javelin throw season opener in Doha with 88.67m

The next Diamond League meeting is in Rabat, Morocco on May 28. However, the next men’s javelin throw event of the series will take place in Lausanne on June 30.

1. Neeraj Chopra (IND) - 88.67m

2. Jakub Vadlejch (CZE) - 88.63m

3. Anderson Peters (GRE) - 85.88m

4. Julian Weber (GER) - 82.62m

5. Andrian Mardare (MDA) - 81.67m

6. Keshorn Walcott (TTO) - 81.27m

7. Roderick Genki Dean (JPN) - 79.44m

8. Curtis Thompson (USA) - 74.13m

The Indian begins the final round with 86.52m throw! No improvement for Vadlejch - 84.76m. Final throw. Anderson Peters. And he finishes with 81.93m. Neeraj Chopra begins the 2023 season by winning the Diamond League meeting in Doha!

Neeraj opens the penultimate round with a below-85m throw. Vadlejch with another big throw - 88.47m. Anderson Peters with 82.22m throw on his fifth attempt. Weber fails to cross 80 again - 79.52m. Mardare with his third consecutive foul. Walcott decides to skip this attempt. Dean’s fifth attempt - 78.85m. Johnson too skips the fifth round. So, that’s it. We have our top-three for the final round - Neeraj Chopra, Anderson Peters and Jakub Vadlejch.

The Indian begins the fourth round with a foul. And so does Jakub. This could make things interesting. Opportunity for Peters? Well, the man from Grenada fails to make the most of it this time as he too fouls his fourth throw. First clean throw of the fourth round comes from Germany’s Weber - 78.57m. Moldova’s Andrian Mardare too fouls. Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott - 74.34m. Japan’s Roderick Genki Dean - 74.08m. Curtis Thompson of USA with final throw of the fourth round - 71.71m

Neeraj registers 85.47m throw on his third attempt. Peters with 83.69m and Jakub with 86.64m. The Indian stays on top at the halfway stage. Finland’s Oliver Helander and Kenya’s Julius Yego are out of the competition as they fail to register a single throw and hence, do not make the top-eight.

Neeraj registers 86.04m throw on his second attempt. Peters with 83.68m. However, Vadlejch moves into second position with a massive effort of 88.63m, just 4cm behind Neeraj.

At the end of the opening round, defending champion Neeraj leads with 88.67m. Peters is second with 85.88m while Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch is third with 85.51m.

Olympic and Diamond League champion Neeraj Chopra begins his 2023 season with a bang! The Indian registers a throw of 88.67m in his first attempt.

World champion Anderson Peters starts with 85.88m.

The men’s javelin event in Doha is about to begin.

Neeraj is appearing in his first-ever Doha Diamond League. Germany’s Thomas Rohler holds the meeting record (93.90m) set in 2017 while this year’s best effort (88.38m) globally has been produced by Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch.

Neeraj Chopra holds the National Record - 89.94m set at the Stockholm Diamond League last year. Can he go past the gold standard of 90m tonight?

“It’s always good when you have big competitors. This is my first competition for the season. Jakub Vadlejch already threw 88.38 in Potchefstroom. Tomorrow will be great competition in Javelin Throw and also the most important thing, Doha is famous for 90m throws. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a great result.” - Neeraj in the pre-event press conference.

India’s Eldhose Paul, on his Diamond League debut, finishes 10th with a best effort of 15.84m

The men’s javelin throw competition will begin at 10:14PM IST and will be broadcast on Sports18 and live streamed on JioCinema app/website.

Neeraj Chopra, reigning Olympic and Diamond League champion in men’s javelin throw, begins his 2023 season at the Diamond League meet in Doha tonight.

The field also features current world champion Anderson Peters from Grenada and Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch, who won silver medal at Tokyo Olympics and is the world leader this season with 88.38m.

Japan’s Roderick Genki Dean, Finland’s Oliver Helander, Moldova’s Andrian Maldare, USA’s Curtis Thompson, Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott, Germany’s Julian Weber and Kenya’s Julius Yego are the other athletes in men’s javelin throw event in the Qatari capital.