Neeraj Chopra at Diamond League 2025 final: Who will give Indian javelin ace tough fight in Zurich? All you need to know

THaving lost the previous two finals by the narrowest of margins, Indian javelin ace Neeraj Chopra will be aiming to restore the country's dominance in world athletics as the two-time Olympic medallist is all set to compete in the Diamond League Final 2025 in Zurich, at Switzerland's iconic Letzigrund Stadium.

While the two-day Diamond League final started on Wednesday (August 27), Neeraj's javelin throw event at the will start from 11:15 PM Indian Standard Time (IST) on Thursday (August 28). Neeraj became the first Indian to win a Diamond League final in 2022 in Zurich.

Since then, the Indian javelin ace 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. Neeraj 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.

However, Neeraj will face a tough competition in the final as six top-10 athletes will feature in the seven-man line-up. While Grenada's Anderson Peters enter the Diamond League 2025 final as the defending champion, Germany's world champion Julian Weber, London 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott, and former world champion Julius Yego are in the mix.

Why Julian Weber will give Neeraj Chopra tough competition?

In fact it was Peters, who pipped Neeraj by a single centimetre in Brussels Diamond League final last year. Since the Paris Olympics last year, cross-border rival Arshad Nadeem was often mentioned as Neeraj's real threat. But with the Pakistani Olympic champion focused on post calf-surgery rehabilitation, Weber emerged out as Neeraj's thorn in the neck in 2025.

Weber had a terrific season with two impressive throws, the latest came just a week before. With no Olympic or a world champion's medal. Weber raised his game in the Doha Diamond League in May, going neck to neck with Neeraj. Both entered the 90-m club for the first time with Weber topping the podium with a 91.06m throw.

Weber stamped his authority in Brussels Diamond League last week when the German threw 89.65m while Neeraj opted to withdraw.

Neeraj Chopra vs Julian Weber 2025 head-to-head

Diamond League Final 2025: Javelin throw entry list

• Neeraj Chopra (India): SB 90.23m | PB 90.23m | World Ranking: 1
• Andrian Mardare (Moldova): SB 82.38m | PB 86.66m | World Ranking: 8
• Anderson Peters (Grenada): SB 85.64m | PB 93.07m | World Ranking: 2
• Keshorn Walcott (Trinidad & Tobago): SB 86.30m | PB 90.16m | World Ranking: 7
• Julian Weber (Germany): SB 91.06m | PB 91.06m | World Ranking: 3
• Simon Wieland (Switzerland): SB 79.33m | PB 79.44m | World Ranking: 43
• Julius Yego (Kenya): SB 84.51m | PB 92.72m | World Ranking: 4