India’s Neeraj Chopra yet again broke his own national record in javelin throw with a personal best throw in the IAAF Diamond League event in Doha on Friday. He finished fourth in the event behind three German athletes who all threw 90+ on the night.
In his first attempt, Chopra started with a throw of 81.17 m which put him in the third position, with world champion Johannes Vetter setting the early pace with 91.56 m.
Given the strength of the field, Chopra needed a big throw to keep pace and he responded in some style in his second attempt with 87.43 m, yet again breaking his personal best and creating a new national record.
Chopra’s earlier record was 86.48 m – while he got his previous season best for 86.47 m for the Commonwealth Games gold medal.
While Chopra was setting his best, the Germans were busy showing they were in a different class. Olympic champion Thomas Rohler improved his first attempt by more than 10 metres to jump into the lead while Andreas Hoffman also threw 90-plus to make it a Germany 1-2-3 halfway through the event.
Chopra followed up his record throw with three fouls in a row. Trying too hard perhaps to break the 90m barrier that he has been eyeing, Chopra ended with a 81.06 m throw. Eventually, it was an unprecedented podium-dominating effort by the German athletes that meant Chopra finished a creditable fourth. This was, incidentally, the first time two athletes had thrown 91.50+ in one event.
As it turned out, Chopra couldn’t finish on the podium but it was most definitely another night to remember for the youngster.
Buy an annual Scroll Membership to support independent journalism and get special benefits.
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!