Neeraj Chopra at Lausanne Diamond League: On another night of frustration, Neeraj fights back with monster last throw to finish 2nd

Neeraj Chopra is no stranger to firsts. But on Thursday night in Lausanne, it was a strange sort of first for him. He was competing at an event for the first time as the *former* Olympic champion. Just two weeks after he was pipped to the title by Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, Neeraj was back at work. He wasn’t pleased with his efforts at the Stade de France, but since he hadn’t exacerbated the groin niggle that has followed him along for a few years now, he decided to enter the Diamond League meet.

The feeling of newness didn’t end there. Once the men’s javelin event at the Athletissima got underway, Neeraj was near unchartered territory once again. This time, it was to keep up his run of top-three finishes that extends back to September 2018 in Ostrava. Not since that day has Neeraj finished fourth or lower in any international event.

With his sixth and final attempt, however, Neeraj found that one big effort as he came up with yet another Season Best throw, and finished second on the night with the mark of 89.49m, behind only Anderson Peters’ sensational 90.61m. That’s now thrice this month alone that Neeraj has managed to register a new lifetime second-best throw. It was 89.34m at Paris in qualification, then 89.45 at the Olympics final, and he pushed that up by 4cms in Lausanne. All behind only that 89.94m that stays atop his list, for now.

India’s Neeraj Chopra in action during the men’s javelin throw. (Reuters)

“The feeling wasn’t great at first, but I´m happy with my throw, especially the second-best throw on my last attempt,” Neeraj said after the event. “It was a tough start, but the comeback was really nice and I enjoyed the fighting spirit I showed. Even though my early throws were around 80-83 meters, I pushed hard in the last two attempts finishing strong. Competing at this high level, it’s important to stay mentally tough and fight through.”

Fight through, indeed. In Lausanne, an admittedly semi-fit Neeraj was on the brink of ending a fine streak that has summed up his consistency over the years. In a physically demanding sport like javelin, to finish top three for six years is no joke. Even Neeraj’s colleagues on the night would attest to that, each of them having their own battles to overcome.

But after four rounds of throws had been completed, Neeraj found himself fourth. Anderson Peters, leading the way. Julian Weber, consistently just behind the Paris bronze medallist. But Neeraj was first pushed out of the top three by Japan’s Genki Dean. And then by Ukraine’s Artur Felfner, who came into the event with a Personal Best of 84.32m.

An old video of Neeraj talking about his ideal partner has been going viral. (Photo: PTI)

Neeraj, however, dug deep. After not managing to cross 84m with any of his first four throws, he had to first come up with a decent fifth one. That landed at 85.58m… not great by his standards, but crucially, it pushed him into the top three and guaranteed him at least one more throw (in the Diamond League meets, only the top three get the sixth throws).

Now, he earned himself one last chance to go big but he had to watch on as Peters reentered the 90m club with a stunning 90.61m with his sixth attempt. The Grenadian threw his arms in the air after letting out a roar, no one had been close to him all night and the top spot seemed destined to be his. Next, Weber didn’t improve his 87.08m from earlier but he would have thought, given how Neeraj’s night had been going till then, that at least second place was his.

Up stepped Neeraj to the start of the runway, with Weber and Peters also clapping him on along with the crowd in a sight that is common in field events. In Paris, Neeraj spoke in great detail about the runway affecting him, and that he found it hard to grip on the fast Mondo track. He tried to speed up his approach and ended up fouling five out of his six throws. But here, Neeraj had been more conscious of his blocking, and despite the marks not being that great, he came into his final throw knowing he had registered five clean attempts before that.

Neeraj Chopra, of India, competes during the men’s javelin throw final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

As he released the javelin this time, Neeraj fell away to his left to keep himself within the white line. As he roared, stood up, and put one arm up in the air, it felt like the first time in a while that he was happy with the effort had managed. When the mark came up, though, Neeraj put his head in his hands and let out a cry of agony. It was so close, to not just Peters’ 90.61 on the night, but also that elusive 90 or 91+ he has been gunning.

Peters, with a beaming smile on his face, was the first to approach Neeraj for an embrace, followed by Weber, once more at the receiving end of a big throw from one of his competitors. Neeraj stole a glance towards the stands where his team was, tongue out with a cheeky smile that was more frustration than joy. There were no words exchanged at that moment, but while Neeraj continues to search for the extra meter or three that he knows he is capable of, he left us speechless once more for showing a ridiculously high level of consistency simply not seen in Indian athletics before.

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