India’s golden javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is all set to start his 2024 season in style. On May 10, he will commit himself to the famous competition in the Doha leg of the prestigious Diamond League series.
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Neeraj Chopra, the reigning Olympic and world champion, is hungry for more. While he secured gold at the Asian Games last year, his latest aim for 2024 is to defend his Olympic title in Paris. In Qatar’s capital, Chopra will be accompanied by his compatriot Kishore Jena. Kishore will be making his Diamond League debut as a silver medalist of Asian Games. Also, he finished fifth in the 2023 Budapest World Championships.
Mark your calendars! 🗓@Neeraj_chopra1, India's record-breaking javelin champion, is back at the Doha Diamond League on May 10th! 🥇#NeerajChopra #DohaDiamondLeague #BetterEveryDay pic.twitter.com/XWfPrNhc8H
— JSW Sports (@jswsports) March 28, 2024
The opposition from Doha promises an interesting conflict. Neeraj Chopra will face familiar competitors such as Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic (silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics and bronze medalist at the 2023 World Championships) and previous world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada.
But Chopra aims high and hopes that now the most effective is not to win, but in addition to break the coveted 90-meter barrier. His personal best throw is 89.94 meters.
Recently Neeraj Chopra said, “This year, my personal goal is to defend my Olympic title, but it would also mean a lot to me to break the 90m barrier. The Doha Meeting, with good conditions and a great atmosphere, is a perfect opportunity to get my season off to the best start.”
Joining Neeraj Chopra in Diamond League are other top contenders:
- Julian Weber (Germany): European champion with a personal best of 89.54 meters.
- Oliver Helander (Germany): Another robust competitor with a personal best of 89.83 meters.
- Ahmed Bader Magour (Qatar): Qatari record holder with a throw of 85.23 meters.
- Edis Matusevicius (Lithuania): Lithuanian record holder and winner of the World University Games with a best of 89.17 meters.
- Roderick Genki Dean (Japan): Asian Games bronze medalist who threw 84.28 meters.
Peters, who finished 3rd in 2023, holds the national record for Grenada and the 5th-longest throw on record (93.07 meters in 2022). Vadlejch, the reigning Diamond League champion boasts a personal best of over 90 meters (90.88 meters in 2022). Interestingly, Chopra dominated this very competition in 2023, securing first place with a throw of 88.67 metres, finishing ahead of Vadlejch and Peters.
The javelin event in Doha is famous because of its exceptional quality. With the right climate, expect an electrifying showdown between these powerhouse athletes.
Supporting Qatar’s environment Neeraj said, “I’m always overwhelmed by the warm support I get from Indians across the world and in Qatar that is particularly special. I feel privileged that so many people come out to support me and I hope I can repay their faith in me with a good performance.”
The meeting in Doha is the 3rd leg of the Diamond League 2024, a series with 15 stops on 4 continents. It starts on April 20th with a leg in Xiamen and ends with the final event in Brussels on September 13th and 14th. However, the first two meets won’t feature the men’s javelin throw as a Diamond League event.
So mark your calendars for the 10th of May. The stage is set for an epic javelin clash in Doha and Neeraj Chopra is ready to make an impact in the 2024 season.
