It's been two weeks since Neeraj Chopra won the historic silver medal at the Paris Olympics, and the star Indian javelin thrower will resume action at the Lausanne Diamond League 2024 meeting on Thursday, seeking to reclaim the DL trophy at the season-ending finale next month. (Streaming | More Sports News)
Nursing a long-standing groin injury, Chopra claimed a silver in the Paris Olympics on August 8 with a 89.45m throw, having won a historic gold in the Tokyo edition of the Games three years ago.
The 26-year-old double Olympic medallist Indian on Saturday confirmed his participation at the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne, leaving a decision on a possible surgery after the end of the season.
This season's DL finals will be held in Brussels on September 14. He needs to finish in the top-six of the Diamond League meetings series standings to qualify for the season finale.
Ahead of the tournament, here is a look at Neeraj Chopra's throws at the Diamond League:
| Year | Event | Position | Throw 1 | Throw 2 | Throw 3 | Throw 4 | Throw 5 | Throw 6 |
| 2022 | Stockholm Diamond League | 2nd | 89.94 | 84.37 | 87.46 | 84.77 | 86.67 | 86.84 |
| 2022 | Lausanne Diamond League | 1st | 89.08 | 85.18 | - | X | - | 80.04 |
| 2022 | Diamond League Final, Zurich | 1st | X | 88.44 | 88 | 86.11 | 87 | 83.6 |
| 2023 | Diamond League, Doha | 1st | 88.67 | 86.04 | 85.47 | X | 84.37 | 86.52 |
| 2023 | Diamond League, Lausanne | 1st | X | 83.52 | 85.04 | X | 87.66 | 84.15 |
| 2023 | Diamond League, Zurich | 2nd | 80.79 | X | X | 85.22 | X | 85.71 |
| 2023 | Diamond League Final, Eugene | 2nd | X | 83.8 | 81.37 | X | 80.74 | 80.9 |
| 2024 | Diamond League, Doha | 2nd | X | 84.93 | 86.24 | 86.18 | 82.28 | 88.36 |
After a busy couple of days post the Olympic final on August 8, Chopra started training in Switzerland and is determined to finish the season on a high despite being restricted by the injury.
"I came to Switzerland for training ahead of the Diamond League. Luckily, I did not aggravate my injury as I took extra care of that.
"I thought of continuing my season like most other athletes. There is one month to go until the season ends. I will go to the doctors in my free time," he had said last week.
Chopra will be up against a top-class field in Lausanne with five of the top-six finishers in Paris Olympics final competing. Only Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who stunned the athletics world by winning the gold with an Olympic record throw of 92.97m, is missing.
(With PTI inputs)
