Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Neeraj Chopra on Thursday won the Diamond League Final in Zurich to become the first Indian to do so.
The ace javelin thrower registered a throw of 88.44 meters in his second attempt, enough to win the contest and add another feather to his cap.
The other five competitors in the tournament were of no match for Chopra who won the competition quite comfortably in the end. Following his winning throw of 88.44 meters in his second attempt, the ace thrower racked up 88 meters and 86.11 meters in his third and fourth attempts respectively.
Chopra’s fifth attempt measured around the 87 meters mark, while his last attempt was only 83.6 meters.
After missing out on the Commonwealth Games owing to injury, he had made a spectacular return from his month-long lay-off to win the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League series to qualify for the two-day final event.
Following his win on Thursday, he became the first Indian to clinch a Diamond League meet title. The 24-year-old javelin thrower immediately hit purple patch on his return with his 89.08 meters hurl in his first attempt that sealed the victory in Lausanne on July 26. This was his third career-best effort as he put the injury behind him with an instant impact.
The Diamond League comprises of 32 Diamond Disciplines and follows a championship-style model. Athletes gain points at the 13-series meet to qualify for the final event of their respective disciplines. The winner of each Diamond Discipline is crowned the ‘Diamond League Champion’ at the final event.
