Lacklustre Neeraj Chopra Finishes Second In Diamond League, Weber On Top

 

Ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finished second in the Diamond League, the final of which was played at the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich on late Thursday night. Chopra had a decent start to the final with a throw of 84.35 m after his first attempt. Following the first attempt, Germany's Julian Weber took the lead with a massive throw of 91.37 m. At this stage, Neeraj was in third position.

 

In his second attempt, Neeraj, who hails from Haryana, managed a throw of just 84 m. He fouled in the third, fourth, and fifth attempts. Each javelin thrower has six attempts, and in his sixth and final attempt, Neeraj managed a throw of 85.1 m. This ensured that he stood second, while Weber, courtesy of his over 91m throw, won the Diamond League. Keshom Walcott, with a throw of 84.95 m, stood in the third spot. This is the third consecutive time that Neeraj has finished second in the tournament. Chopra, also an Olympic gold medallist, in 2022 became the first Indian to become a Diamond League champion in any event. Interestingly, that year too, the Final was also held in Zurich.

 

The star athlete also made the finals in the two subsequent editions held in Eugene and Brussels, respectively. However, on both occasions, he finished as a runner-up. The Zurich final marked the culmination of the 2025 Diamond League season, which featured 14 regular legs before the two-day finale. The 27-year-old Indian athlete has competed in two Diamond League meets this season - finishing second in Doha with a national record-breaking 90.23m, and winning the Paris leg with 88.16m. Having secured his berth in the final, Neeraj opted to sit out the Silesia and Brussels leg of the 2025 Diamond League season, which also featured javelin throw competitions. The final featured a strong seven-man line-up, with six athletes ranked inside the world's top 10.

 

Grenada's Anderson Peters entered the Zurich meet as the reigning Diamond League champion, having pipped Neeraj by a single centimetre in Brussels last year. World leader Julian Weber of Germany, who beat Neeraj in Doha earlier this year, London 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott, and former world title holder Julius Yego were also in the fray. World No. 43 Simon Wieland was part of the Final as the host nation's entry. The Final became the perfect stage for Neeraj to prepare for his big title defence at the World Championships scheduled in Tokyo in September 2025.