Neeraj Chopra Becomes 1st Indian to Win Diamond League Trophy

Neeraj Chopra, a gold medallist from the Tokyo Olympics, became the first Indian to win the Diamond League Final on Thursday in Zurich. 

The 24-year-old Olympic champion threw 88.44m to finish on the top step of the podium.

Neeraj won the race ahead of Julian Webber of Germany and Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic to write history. The Indian javelin champion got things started with a foul while Vadlejch took the lead with a throw of 84.15 metres. Neeraj, however, threw 88.44 metres on his second try, and it wasn't surpassed until the very end of the competition.

Then, in his subsequent attempts, Neeraj threw 88.00 metres, 86.11 metres, 87.00 metres, and 83.60 metres. With a best attempt of 86.94m, Vadlejch placed second.

Another strong performance from the Indian, this time in the Diamond League Final, Neeraj's three throws were superior to those of the rest of the competition. 

Neeraj has won gold at the Olympic Games in 2021, silver at the World Athletics Championships in 2022, and gold at the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games in 2018. He had, however, mentioned the value of Diamond League competition for him and stated that he would love to win the Diamond Trophy to complete the set.