Neeraj Chopra misses out on Wanda Diamond League title by barest of margins, finishes second

India’s ‘Golden Boy’ and Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra came second best to Czech Jakub Vadlejch in the Wanda Diamond League final in men’s javelin in Eugene on Saturday.

USA’s Curtis Thompson started the event with a throw of 74.16 metres to get the javelin final underway. 

The Indian ace started with a cross to his name, as his first throw was disqualified. However, he made a sensational recovery to climb to second place on the points table with a throw of 83.80m in his second attempt.
The ace javelin thrower, however, fell a bit short with his second attempt as he registered a distance of 81.37m. 

In light and fun moments between the event, the javelins arrived in mini electric cars for the throwers. 

The 25-year-old Indian again crossed the white line in his fourth attempt, which was deemed a foul.

On his fifth try, Chopra hurled the spear to a distance of 80.74m. However, it was nowhere near enough to help seal the first place. 

With a final throw of 80.90m, Chopra ended his Wanda Diamond League final campaign in second position, with his best at 83.80m. 

Czech Vadlejch took the Wanda Diamond League title home with a final throw of 84.24m. 

Earlier this month, Chopra, who won India’s first-ever gold at the World Athletics Championships, failed to defend his Diamond League title, falling just short of Jakub Vadlejch (85.86 m) again, who took home the trophy. (ANI) 

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