Two-time Olympic medallist
Neeraj Chopra had to settle for a runner-up finish in the Diamond League Final for the third year in a row as Germany’s Julian Weber produced a commanding performance to win his maiden title with two massive 90m-plus throws in Zurich on Thursday.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Weber lit up the event with a season world-leading 91.57m effort, also his personal best, coming in the second round. He had already set the tone with 91.37m in his opening attempt, and from there it was a one-man show. None of his rivals came close to the German, whose five legal throws all went beyond 83m, underlining his dominance in the seven-man field.
As it happened: Diamond League FinalsChopra, meanwhile, had an uncharacteristically modest series. The 27-year-old Indian began with 84.35m and then slipped with efforts of 82m and a foul. At the halfway stage, he was placed third behind Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott. Two more fouls followed before he salvaged his night with a final-round 85.01m to snatch back second place, edging Walcott by just six centimeters. Defending champion Anderson Peters of Grenada finished fourth with 82.06m.
“This was not too bad,” Chopra reflected after the event. “We are getting close to the world championships, so I still need to throw a little further. A few things went well, a few things did not. But I am very happy for Julian – he managed to throw really far. Showing 91m was really good.”
The modest return was a rare off-day for Chopra, who has made a habit of breaching the 88m mark in recent seasons and famously crossed the 90m barrier earlier this year in Doha. He acknowledged that the focus now shifts to Tokyo, where he will defend his world title next month. “At major championships, the gold is more important than the far throws. So I will try my best to win the medal,” he said.
For Weber, it was another breakthrough in a season where he has already thrown over 90m three times, including his 91.06m effort in Doha in May. Thursday’s win also gave him a 3-1 edge over Chopra in head-to-head contests this season, although the Indian still holds a dominant 15-5 overall record.
Chopra has not finished outside the top two in any competition since June 2021. But on the biggest Diamond League stage, Weber’s night of brilliance ensured the Indian star had to settle for second best yet again.
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