Diamond League Final 2024: Neeraj Chopra ranks second; falls short of 1 cm, neck-to-neck battle with Anderson Peters

Diamond League 2024: Star javelin thrower, and Olympic silver medallist Neeraj Chopra, on Saturday, missed the Diamond Trophy title as he fell short by just one centimetre at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. He finished second in the games.

Neeraj Chopra's third javelin throw of 87.86 metres was only behind Granada's Anderson Peters, who hurled an 87.87 metre throw in his first try. Meanwhile, German player Julian Weber's best attempt was 85.97 metres, ranking him third.

Neeraj Chopra, who earned a silver medal in Paris following his historic gold in Tokyo, received $12,000 for his second-place finish. Peters, claiming the Diamond Trophy for the first time, was awarded $30,000 and a wildcard for the World Athletics Championships.

The 26-year-old Indian athlete, who had won the Diamond League trophy in 2022 and finished second in 2023, secured his spot in the Brussels final after coming fourth in the overall Diamond League standings. He accumulated 14 points from consecutive second-place finishes in Doha and Lausanne.

Anderson Peter and Neeraj Chopra's neck to neck fight

During the Diamond League final, Anderson Peters, a two-time world champion, set the bar high with an 87.87-meter throw on his opening attempt. Neeraj’s first throw was 86.82 meters, but his closest attempt was 87.86 meters on his third try. Peters matched this distance with his final throw. Neeraj made one last attempt in the sixth round but fell short by less than one and a half meters.

According to reports, Neeraj Chopra has struggled with fitness issues this season and plans to consult a doctor about a persistent groin injury that has hindered his performance and prevented him from reaching the 90-meter mark. 

Chopra's best javelin throw of the season came in August in Lausanne, with a distance of 89.49 meters, marking the second-best throw of his career, and was four centimeters longer than his silver-medal attempt in Paris.

Neeraj Chopra had previously won the Lausanne Diamond League leg in 2022 and 2023, and finished second behind Jakub Vadlejch in the winner-takes-all finale in Eugene, USA, in 2023.

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