Neeraj Chopra to headline India’s biggest-ever Diamond League contingent in Doha
Neeraj Chopra, Kishore Jena, Gulveer Singh and Parul Chaudhary will be participating in the Doha Leg.
Neeraj Chopra will be headlining India’s biggest-ever Diamond League contingent in Doha on May 16, and will be hoping to put in a good show. Chopra won the Doha leg in 2023 with a throw of 88.67m and came second in 2024 with a throw of 88.36m.
In the men’s javelin throw event, he will be joined by fellow Indian Kishore Jena, who came ninth last year with a throw of 76.31m.
Also Read: Neeraj Chopra Classic postponed indefinitely due to India-Pakistan military tension
Meanwhile, Gulveer Singh will join the javelin duo in track, and is the national record holder in men’s 5000m. He will be making his Diamond League debut. India’s national record holder in women’s 3000m steeplechase, Parul Chaudhary will also be in action.
Chopra was also supposed to participate in his own tournament, the NC Classic this month, but due to the Indo-Pak tensions, he had to postpone it. In a statement, his team announced, “This decision has been made after careful thought and consultation, with the wellbeing of athletes, stakeholders, and the broader community as the top priority.”
“We believe in the unifying power of sport. But, in this critical moment, standing firm with the nation matters most. All our gratitude and thoughts at this point are only with our Armed Forces, who are at the forefront for our nation.”
In Doha, he will also be competing against the likes of two-time world champion Anderson Peters, 2024 winner Jakub Vadlejch, Julian Weber, Max Dehning and Julius Yego. It will be a star-studded field and fans will be hoping for Chopra to bag a podium finish atleast, and will also expect Jena to put in a challenge.
Neeraj was also recently caught in controversy, due to sending Arshad Nadeem an invite for the NC Classic. The invite was sent two days before the Pahalgam terror attack last month, and Nadeem rejected it after the incident. Fans took to X to abuse Neeraj for sending Arshad an invite, and then he had to clarify that the invite was sent before the Pahalgam terror attack.
