Diamond League Final 2024: Neeraj Chopra falls short of trophy by 1cm as Anderson Peters grabs top prize

Neeraj will earn USD 12,000 for his second-place finish in the grand finale which marked the end of the Diamond League series after 14 legs, as well as the end of international athletics season.

FILE PHOTO - India’s Neeraj Chopra reacts during the men’s javelin throw athletics event at the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France. | Photo Credit: PTI

Neeraj Chopra came agonisingly close to reclaiming a second Diamond trophy, falling short by 1cm, as Anderson Peters won the men’s javelin throw event at the Diamond League Final 2024 at the the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels on Saturday.

While Peters got 87.87m with his best throw of the event, Neeraj finished second, with his best throw coming at 87.86m

The Indian javelin throw superstar, with a personal best of 89.94m (achieved at the which he achieved at the Stockholm Diamond League on June 30, 2022) and season’s best of 89.49m (Lausanne Diamond League on August 23, 2024), had a series of 86.82m, 83.49m, 87.86m, 82.04m, 83.30m and 86.46m the 2024 Diamond League final.

Julian Weber of Germany finished third with 85.97m.

Peters will collect a Diamond League trophy and get USD 30,000 for becoming DL champion this season.

Neeraj will earn USD 12,000 for his second-place finish in the grand finale which marked the end of the Diamond League series after 14 legs, as well as the end of international athletics season.

AS IT HAPPENED: Neeraj Chopra HIGHLIGHTS from men’s javelin event, Diamond League Final 2024

The Paris 2024 Olympics silver medallist booked a place in the final, finishing fourth in the overall Diamond League standings.

Neeraj bagged 14 points from two second-place finishes in the one-day events in Doha and Lausanne. Last year, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics gold medallist had finished two points behind winner Jakub Vadlejch of Czechia. 

1 centimetre. The approximate length of a ladybug.

That's the difference which kept Neeraj Chopra from reclaiming a second 💎😭#DiamondLeagueFinal | #BrusselsDLpic.twitter.com/SNvReKwzyc

— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) September 14, 2024

Neeraj has been struggling with his fitness this season and is expected to meet a doctor to rectify a groin injury that has affected him all season and came in the way of his quest to hit the 90m mark.

The 26-year-old’s best throw of the season came during the Lausanne leg last month, where he threw 89.49m, his second-best throw ever (89.94m being his personal best which he achieved at the Stockholm Diamond League on June 30, 2022)

Out of all the finalists, only Anderson Peters has recorded a better distance this season, throwing a Meet Record of 90.61m in Lausanne, breaking Keshorn Walcott’s 90.16 in 2015.

(with inputs from PTI)