After 88.36m start to season, Neeraj keen to soar higher

Doha, May 11

Olympics and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra vowed to go one step further in the next Diamond League meeting after finishing a close second in the Doha leg. Chopra’s big final effort of 88.36 metres fell short by just two centimetres of Jakub Vadlejch’s winning effort on Friday night.

The most important competition for me this year is the Paris Olympics, but Diamond League meetings are important too. This was the opener for me this season. I finished second but next time I will try to win. — Neeraj Chopra

“The most important competition for me this year is the Paris Olympics, but Diamond League meetings are important too. This was the opener for me this season, I finished second with a narrow two-centimetre margin but next time I will try to win,” Chopra said.

The next Diamond League meeting which has men’s javelin as a discipline will be held in Paris on July 7.

Chopra also thanked the Indian diaspora in Qatar for supporting him. “The support I am getting from the Indian people here in Qatar is always amazing, there aren’t words enough for me to thank them for their support,” he said.

Home comforts

Chopra’s presence will turn the National Federation Cup, starting tomorrow, into a high-profile domestic competition though several top athletes have decided to skip the four-day event in Bhubaneswar. The 26-year-old Chopra will be competing in a domestic event for the first time in three years, after featuring in the 2021 edition of the same event.

Asian Games silver medallist Kishore Jena, whose Diamond League debut in Doha on Friday ended in disappointment with a ninth-place finish, will also compete in the event along with DP Manu, who had finished sixth in the 2023 World Championships.

Shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor would also be looking to either breach the Paris Olympics qualifying mark of 21.50m or gain valuable ranking points. The Asian record holder began his outdoor season with a 19.82m effort at the national throws meet.

Asian Games medallists Avinash Sable (men’s 3000m steeplechase), Jyothi Yarraji (women’s 100m hurdles), Parul Chaudhary (women’s 3000m steeplechase), Annu Rani (women’s javelin throw) and Harmilan Bains (women’s 800m and 1500m) are among the top athletes who are skipping the event as they are training abroad.

Jeswin Ardrin will be the favourite to win the men’s long jump gold in the absence of injured Murali Sreeshankar. The triple jump could see the battle of supremacy between national record holder Praveen Chitravel and Abdulla Aboobacker while reigning Commonwealth Games champion Eldhose Paul, who won a German event recently, opted out. The women’s long jump pit could see another duel between Nayana James and Shaili Singh.