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Neeraj Chopra gears up for blockbuster year with Diamond League in Doha
Neeraj Chopra will compete in a star-studded line-up at the Diamond League in Doha on May 5.
Neeraj Chopra will compete in a star-studded line-up at the Diamond League in Doha on May 5, where the Olympic champion will begin his title defence. Chopra, the world championships silver medallist, will be joined by world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada and Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch (CZE) in what promises to be a fascinating showdown.
Chopra had a stunning season last year, where he won silver at the world championships in Oregon, triumphed in the Diamond League, and set a new national record of 89.94m. However, the highlight of the season was the amazing consistency that saw him throw the spear over 88m multiple times.
A 90m throw eluded him just by a few centimeters and it remains a goal that he will be chasing this year too. Besides, he will be aiming to become a world champion, having finished second to Peters last season. There is also the Asian Games in September in a packed season of high possibilities for Chopra.
“While last year was a good year for me with a new personal best, world silver medal, and the win of the Wanda Diamond League, this year brings new opportunities," said Chopra.
"My goal for this summer is the World Championships, alongside the Asian Games and the defence of my Wanda Diamond League title. I’m also getting closer to the 90m mark, so it would mean a lot for me to break that barrier," he added.
Having missed the Doha meet last year, Chopra is eager to compete. Peters had a monstrous 93.07m throw in Doha last season which was the fifth-longest throw in history.
“I’m looking forward to opening my Diamond League season alongside a group of incredible athletes, in front of a passionate crowd,” said Chopra.
Besides Peters, Olympic silver medallist Vadlejch, European champion Julian Weber of Germany, former Olympic champion and Trinidad & Tobago national record holder Keshorn Walcott (90.16m); and 2016 Olympic silver medallist Julius Yego -- the Kenyan record holder (92.72m) -- will compete at Qatar Sports Club in Doha.
The Diamond League will be a major event for Chopra and considering the importance he gives to the high-profile event he will be looking to go all out. The league is spread across 14 meetings and javelin features in five of them -- Doha, Lausanne, Monaco and Zurich before it winds down to Hayward Field in Eugene for the finale on September 16.
Each meet offers a prize money of $10,000 for the winners while the champion gets a prize purse of $30,000. Last year, Chopra's national record was also set in a Diamond League meet with a throw of 89.94m in Stockholm.
Compared to last year when he started his season late on June 14, Chopra is beginning early this time and it will stretch longer as the postponed Asian Games in Hangzhou is scheduled from September 23. He competed in six events last year but missed the Commonwealth Games having injured his groin in Eugene.
He will be looking to keep himself injury-free considering that he might compete in more events this season in a busy calendar. The most important would be the world championships in Budapest on August 25 and Chopra will be keen to wear the tag of world champion. In Eugene, he overcame a modest start by his own standards and bounced back, finally with his fourth throw (88.13m) surging ahead to take second place.
