Neeraj Chopra Finishes Second at Zurich Diamond League Despite Below-Par Performance

India’s Olympic and World Champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra continued his streak of podium finishes, securing second place at the Zurich Diamond League Finals on Thursday, though he admitted he was “far from his best.”

Chopra, 27, produced a final throw of 85.01m, edging past Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott to claim the runner-up spot for the third consecutive year. He opened with 84.35m, followed by 82m, and fouled his third, fourth, and fifth attempts before landing his best mark on the final throw.

“This was not too bad. But we are getting very close to the World Championships, so I still need to throw a little bit further,” Chopra said. “The run-up was not so good. There is something I didn’t find today.”

Germany’s Julian Weber dominated the competition, producing two throws beyond 90m—91.37m and a personal best and season world lead of 91.57m—leaving the rest of the seven-man field well behind. Defending champion Anderson Peters of Grenada finished fourth with 82.06m.

Chopra, who won the Diamond League trophy in 2022, has finished second in 2023 and 2024 and will now focus on the World Championships in Tokyo from September 13–21.

“In the last attempt, I still managed to throw 85. But I am very happy for Julian today — 91m was really good. Everything will be different in Tokyo,” Chopra added, emphasizing the need for further training ahead of the global event.