PM Modi lauds Neeraj Chopra on Lausanne Diamond League win: 'His relentless pursuit of excellence is commendable'
Neeraj Chopra finished at top spot in the Lausanne Diamond League with an 87.66m throw.
Neeraj Chopra continued his sensational form at the Diamond League, clinching the top spot for the second time in the season in Lausanne on Friday. Despite suffering from injuries after a strained muscle recently, Chopra’s comeback was sensational, as his fifth-round throw of 87.66m was enough to earn him the victory.
Having already won gold in the Doha leg of the Diamond League, and risen to top position in the javelin throw rankings, Chopra continued to prove his mettle, beating Germany’s Julian Weber and the Czech Jakub Vadlejch. Chopra had won the Lausanne event en route to the overall Diamond League trophy in 2022 as well, and has continued to prove himself as arguably the best javelin athlete in the world since his gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago.
Also read: Watch: Neeraj Chopra's epic come-from-behind throw that won him 2nd Diamond League of the season
Following Chopra's feat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to his official Twitter account to praise the javelin thrower. He wrote, “Congratulations to @Neeraj_chopra1 for shining at the Lausanne Diamond League. Thanks to his extraordinary performances, he has finished at the top of the table. His talent, dedication and relentless pursuit of excellence is commendable.”
The only other man to have won gold in an individual Olympic sport for India, Abhinav Bindra, also congratulated Chopra on his continued excellence and run of results, despite the injury setback.
Bindra, who won gold in the 10m air rifle in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and in doing so became the first individual gold medallist for India, wrote on Twitter: “A big shoutout to
@Neeraj_chopra1 on his incredible victory at the Lausanne Diamond League! Your triumph is a testament to your unwavering resilience and determination, especially after coming back from injury.”
The 25-year old Chopra has gone from strength to strength with the javelin in hand, and his eyes will be set on defending his gold medal at the Paris Olympics next year. Before that, he will want to continue to improve on his fitness and form through the next year, and has his eyes set on the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August.
Speaking after the event, Chopra had claimed “I was feeling a bit nervous coming back from an injury. It was a bit cold here tonight. I am still far from my best, but I feel it is getting better. I am relieved it´s coming together well for me. A win is a win and I will take that happily.”