New Delhi: Diamond League champion and Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra is set to kickstart his season with Doha Diamond League on May 5. He will be competing against World Champion Anderson Peters and Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch. Neeraj has had a great Diamond League last year where he became the first Indian to lift the diamond trophy.
Neeraj had to miss the Doha meet last year due to an injury, which also led to him missing the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Last year in Doha, Anderson Peters, who had a great season, threw the fifth-longest throw in history, touching 93.07m.
Olympic champion and world silver medallist Chopra will join world champion Anderson Peters (GRN) and Olympic silver medallist Vadlejch (CZE) in a much-anticipated javelin competition at #DiamondLeague in Doha Friday 5 Mayhttps://t.co/WMvTmTKae0
?️https://t.co/C1czrif8zN?️ pic.twitter.com/lxMDettd9A
— Doha Diamond League (@dldoha) April 13, 2023
India’s javelin star scored his personal best and national record of 89.94m in the Stockholm Diamond League and is all set to give a tough competition to Peters. This year, he will also look out to hit the 90m mark, though on several occasions he has cleared that touching 90m will happen when it is meant to and it does not bother him.
Recently, Neeraj talked about the upcoming season and he said that he is aiming for World Championships, the Asian Games and defending his Wanda Diamond League title while going closer to breaking the 90m barrier. He acknowledged that he had a great season last year where he won the world championship silver and the Wanda Diamond League.
Chopra is off to Turkiye to train at the Gloria Sports Arena for 61 days. The 25-year-old is training along with his coach Klaus Bartonietz and his Physiotherapist while Target Olympics Podium Scheme (TOPS) is funding his training.
Doha Diamond League will commence on May 5 at the Qatar Sports Club. The 2023 Diamond League will feature 14 athletics meets with the finals in Eugene on September 16-17.
