Brussels: In a dramatic conclusion to the Diamond League season, Neeraj Chopra narrowly missed clinching the title, finishing second by just one centimeter at the finale held in Brussels on Saturday. The 26-year-old Indian javelin thrower, who secured the Diamond League trophy in 2022, recorded a throw of 87.86 meters, which was 1 cm short of Anderson Peters’ winning throw of 87.87 meters. Peters, hailing from Grenada and a two-time world champion, achieved his best throw in his opening attempt, while Julian Weber of Germany took third place with a throw of 85.97 meters.
Chopra, who added a silver to his Olympic medal collection following his historic gold at the Tokyo Games, ended his season with a commendable performance. Despite his best throw of the day being his third attempt, Chopra’s series included throws of 86.82m, 83.49m, 87.86m, 82.04m, 83.30m, and 86.46m.
Peters will receive the Diamond League trophy and a prize of USD 30,000, while Chopra will earn USD 12,000 for his second-place finish. The competition marked the end of the Diamond League series, concluding a challenging international athletics season.
Chopra, who had a personal best of 89.94 meters and a season’s best of 89.49 meters, remained consistent throughout the year, despite only securing victory in one international event—the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, on June 18. The javelin star has been dealing with a groin injury that impacted his performance throughout the season and his quest to surpass the 90-meter mark.
Additionally, national record-holding 3000m steeplechaser Sable finished ninth in his maiden Diamond League final with a time of 8 minutes and 17.09 seconds, marking a disappointing end to his season after a previous 11th-place finish at the Olympic Games. This Diamond League finale was notable for featuring two Indian athletes for the first time.
