Ace Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra secured second place at the Diamond League Final in Brussels on Sunday, with his best throw reaching 87.86m. He narrowly missed out on the top spot by just 1 cm, with Anderson Peters taking first place with a throw of 87.87m. Peters, who also won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, clinched the victory by the smallest of margins. Julian Weber of Germany finished third with a throw of 85.97m, while Adrian Mardare placed fourth with a mark of 82.97m. Japan’s Genki Rodrick Dean secured fifth position with a throw of 80.37m, and Ukraine’s Arthur Felfner came in sixth with a best throw of 79.86m.
Neeraj began the competition strong, registering a throw of 86.82m in his first attempt, followed by 83.49m in his second. His third attempt was his best, reaching 87.86m, just 1 cm short of Peters’ winning throw. Unfortunately, Neeraj was unable to surpass the 85m mark in his subsequent attempts, finishing the event with a final throw of 86.46m.
Despite his impressive performance, Neeraj has been grappling with fitness issues throughout the season, particularly a groin injury that has hindered his quest to break the 90m barrier. He is expected to consult a doctor to address the injury.
Neeraj had previously won the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League in both 2022 and 2023, and finished second in last year’s finale in Eugene, USA, behind Jakub Vadlejch.
