Neeraj Chopra wins maiden Diamond League title in Zurich with best throw of 88.44m; first Indian to do so; highlights

Highlights from the Men’s Javelin throw at the Zurich Diamond League 2022 grand finale.

Updated : Sep 09, 2022 01:39 IST

Neeraj Chopra of India competes in the Javelin Throw Men during the Weltklasse IAAF Diamond League international athletics meeting at the Letzigrund stadium in Zurich, Switzerland.
Neeraj Chopra of India competes in the Javelin Throw Men during the Weltklasse IAAF Diamond League international athletics meeting at the Letzigrund stadium in Zurich, Switzerland. | Photo Credit: .Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP
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Neeraj Chopra of India competes in the Javelin Throw Men during the Weltklasse IAAF Diamond League international athletics meeting at the Letzigrund stadium in Zurich, Switzerland. | Photo Credit: .Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP

Welcome to Sportstar’s highlights of the Men’s Javelin throw at the Zurich Diamond League 2022 grand finale.

Neeraj Chopra has done it!! He wins the Zurich Diamond League final with his best throw of 88.44m. He becomes the first Indian to win a Diamond League Grand Final title.

Sixth attempt: Chopra wins the Zurich Diamond League finals with his 88.44m throw!! Vadlejch in second but his last throw is invalid. Weber’s sixth attempt ruled out as invaid. Ramos finishes the event with just two attempts.

  • Neeraj Chopra: invalid throw, 88.44m, 88.00m, 86.11m, 87.00m, 83.60m
  • Jakub Vadlejch- 84.15m, 86.00m, invalid throw, 86.94m, 83.95m, invalid throw
  • Julian Weber- 79.16m, 77.36m, 83.73m, 83.43m, 78.25m, invalid throw
  • Curtis Thompson- 77.51m, 82.10m, 78.37m, invalid throw, invalid throw, 78.45m
  • Patriks Gailums- 80.44m, 73.99m, 77.21m, 74.04m, invalid throw, 76.08m
  • Leandro Ramos- 71.96m, 66.55m, attempt not taken, attempt not taken, attempt not taken, attempt not taken

12:55 AM- Fifth attempt: No change in top 3 as Neeraj Chopra maintains lead with Vadlejch and Weber in second and third. Leandro Ramos does not throw in his fifth attempt too. Curtis Thompson with two consecutive invalid throws.

  • Neeraj Chopra: invalid throw, 88.44m, 88.00m, 86.11m, 87.00m
  • Jakub Vadlejch- 84.15m, 86.00m, invalid throw, 86.94m, 83.95m
  • Julian Weber- 79.16m, 77.36m, 83.73m, 83.43m, 78.25m
  • Curtis Thompson- 77.51m, 82.10m, 78.37m, invalid throw, invalid throw
  • Patriks Gailums- 80.44m, 73.99m, 77.21m, 74.04m, invalid throw
  • Leandro Ramos- 71.96m, 66.55m, attempt not taken, attempt not taken, attempt not taken

12:47 AM- Fourth attempt: Chopra maintains his lead (88.4m throw) with Vadlejch and Weber in second and third. Curtis’ fourth attempt ruled out as invalid. Ramos does not take his throw for the second consecutive time.

  • Neeraj Chopra: invalid throw, 88.44m, 88.00m, 86.11m
  • Jakub Vadlejch- 84.15m, 86.00m, invaid throw, 86.94m
  • Julian Weber- 79.16m, 77.36m, 83.73m, 83.43m
  • Curtis Thompson- 77.51m, 82.10m, 78.37m, invalid throw
  • Patriks Gailums- 80.44m, 73.99m, 77.21m, 74.04m
  • Leandro Ramos- 71.96m, 66.55m, attempt not taken, attempt not taken

12:35 am: Third attempt: Neeraj throws 88.00m in his third attempt but maintains the lead with his 88.44m second-attempt throw. Vadlejch and Weber in second and third respectively .

  • Neeraj Chopra: invalid throw, 88.44m, 88.00m
  • Jakub Vadlejch- 84.15m, 86.00 m, invaid throw
  • Julian Weber- 79.16m, 77.36m, 83.73m
  • Curtis Thompson- 77.51m, 82.10m, 78.37m
  • Patriks Gailums- 80.44m, 73.99m, 77.21m
  • Leandro Ramos- 71.96m, 66.55m, attempt not taken

12:14 am- Second attempt: Neeraj Chopra throws a monster 88.44m in his second attempt and takes the lead.

  • Neeraj Chopra- invalid throw, 88.44m
  • Jakub Vadlejch- 84.15m, 86.00 m
  • Curtis Thompson- 77.51m, 82.10m
  • Patriks Gailums- 80.44m, 73.99m
  • Julian Weber- 79.16m, 77.36m
  • Leandro Ramos- 71.96m, 66.55m

12:08 am- 1st attempt: Neeraj Chopra’s first throw is invalid. Jakub Vadlejch leads with a throw of 84.15m.

  • Jakub Vadlejch- 84.15 m
  • Patriks Gailums- 80.14m
  • Julian Weber- 79.16m
  • Curtis Thompson- 79.16m
  • Leandro Ramos- 71.96m
  • Neeraj Chopra- invalid throw

11:50 PM: Stat-time!

Neeraj has the second-best throw of the season at 89.94 while Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch has the best throw of 90.88m among the participants in the finals.

11:30 PM: Men’s Javelin lineup for Diamond League Final

  • Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic
  • Julian Webber of Germany
  • Neeraj Chopra of India
  • Patricks Galiums of Latvia
  • Leandro Ramo of Portugal
  • Curtis Thompson of USA 

11:15 PM: Neeraj’s road to the final

Neeraj became the first Indian to qualify for the Diamond Race when he topped the Lausanne Diamond League 2022 on August 27.

Currently, the 24-year-old is ranked fourth on the League’s standings, behind Jakub Vadlejch (Czech Republic), Julian Weber (Germany), and Andersen Peters (Grenada). Leandro Ramos (Portugal) and Gailums Patriks (Latvia) are the other throwers competing in the event.

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Even though Peters pulled out of the event after being attacked last month, Neeraj will face stiff competition from Jakub, the Olympic silver medallist.

Both Peters and Jakub have dominated the men’s javelin field this year and achieved two of the season’s best throws in the Doha Diamond League in May. Peters, the Worlds gold medallist, hurled the javelin to his Personal Best (PB) mark of 93.07m to take the title. Following him in second place, Jakub achieved a 90.88m throw (PB).

 Neeraj Chopra of India competes in Men’s Javelin Throw during the Athletissima Lausanne Diamond League athletics meeting at Stade Olympique Pontaise on August 26, 2022 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
 Neeraj Chopra of India competes in Men’s Javelin Throw during the Athletissima Lausanne Diamond League athletics meeting at Stade Olympique Pontaise on August 26, 2022 in Lausanne, Switzerland. | Photo Credit:  Marco M. Mantovani/Getty Image
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 Neeraj Chopra of India competes in Men’s Javelin Throw during the Athletissima Lausanne Diamond League athletics meeting at Stade Olympique Pontaise on August 26, 2022 in Lausanne, Switzerland. | Photo Credit:  Marco M. Mantovani/Getty Image

Unlike Peters and Jakub, who competed in several competitions from the start of the season, Neeraj ended his break from the track in June in Turku, where he missed a 90m throw by .60m.

In the Stockholm Diamond League, his first major event since Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Neeraj improved his PB to 89.94m but again missed a 90m throw - considered the gold standard in men’s javelin throw. Peters, who broke a 16-year-old meet record with a 90.31m throw in his third attempt, topped the podium.

The Peters-Neeraj duel continued in the World Athletics Championships as well, with the Grenadian pushing the Indian to the second position with a 90.54m throw against the latter’s 88.13m.

In August, in his first competition since winning the Worlds silver in July in Eugene, Neeraj braved inconsistent winds in the Lausanne Diamond League at the La Pontaise Olympic Stadium to launch an impressive 89.08m throw in his first attempt. Peters gave the Lausanne meet a miss. The effort was enough for Neeraj to become the first Indian athlete ever to win a Diamond League title.

The throw was also enough for Neeraj to qualify for the World Athletics Championships 2023, to be held in Budapest, Hungary. Jakub finished second with an 85.88m throw.

Preview

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra  will be competing for a podium finish at the Zurich Diamond League Grand Final 2022, which takes place on September 7-8, 2022.

After finishing first at the Lausanne Diamond League meet in August, Neeraj scripted history by becoming the first Indian to win a leg of the Diamond League.

The Lausanne win and the second-place finish at the Stockholm leg, helped the Indian javelin thrower to qualify for the Grand Final in Zurich. He is the only Indian athlete to qualify for this year’s grand finale.

If he wins this title, Neeraj will become the first Indian to win a Diamond League Grand Final title.

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Among the participants in the finals, Neeraj has the second-best throw of the season at 89.94 with Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch, the 2016 Diamond League champion having the best throw of 90.88m this season. Vadlejch had won the silver medal at Tokyo 2020, finishing behind Neeraj Chopra.

Germany’s Julian Weber, the reigning European champion, will also provide stiff competition .World champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, who also qualified for the event will not make it as he is recovering from an injury sustained during an attack after the Commonwealth Games 2022..

When and where to watch the event?
When is the Diamond League Grand Final in Zurich scheduled to take place?
The Diamond League Grand Final in Zurich will be spread across two days - Wednesday, September 7 and Thursday, September 8.
When is Neeraj Chopra’s javelin throw event scheduled to get underway?
The men’s javelin throw take place on September 8 at 11:50 PM IST.
Where and how to watch the live telecast and live streaming of the Diamond League Grand Final on TV and online respectively in India?
The Diamond League Grand Final in Zurich will be broadcast on   Sports 18. It is available for streaming on the   Voot app (subscription required).
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