India’s star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra kicked off his 2023 season on a high note, clinching the Doha Diamond League title on Friday (May 5) with a world-leading throw of 88.67m.
The Olympic champion, who won the Diamond League trophy for the first time in 2022, edged out his closest rival Jakub Vadlejch of Croatia by a mere 0.16m.
Anderson Peters of Grenada secured the third spot with a throw of 85.88m.
Neeraj’s first attempt was his best and proved to be enough for the win as he dominated the field that included some of the top names in the sport, such as Julian Weber of Germany and Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago.
Neeraj’s second throw was also impressive at 86.04m, which would have secured him the second place anyway. He followed it up with throws of 85.47m, 84.37m, and 86.52m, while his fourth attempt was a foul.
The victory in Doha is a significant boost for Neeraj, who has a busy season ahead of him with some major events lined up, such as the World Championships in Budapest later this year and the Asian Games in China next year.
Neeraj will be aiming to improve his silver medal from the 2022 World Championships and retain his gold medal from the 2018 Asian Games. He missed the chance to defend his Commonwealth title last year due to an injury he sustained during the World Championships.