Neeraj Chopra shows fighting spirit at Diamond League in Lausanne, overcomes pain to deliver his best throw of the season – Firstpost

Despite the pain of a long-term groin injury from which he has yet to fully recover, Neeraj Chopra managed to pull off another exceptional performance that once again underlined his status as a true superstar in the world of athletics.

The fact that Chopra suffered from an adductor injury was public knowledge even before he arrived in Paris for the Olympics, and that is one of the reasons why his workload was carefully managed by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). Concerns over Chopra’s injury grew further after he decided not to return home after a silver medal, revealing that he might have to undergo groin surgery.

Chopra, however, has chosen to put the operation on hold for now and remain hopeful of winning the Diamond League for the second time in three years by making himself available for the Lausanne competition – one of only four Diamond League events this year to feature the javelin throw among its events.

And by putting on an even better show than the one he put on in Paris earlier this month, Chopra made a provocative statement, highlighting the fighting spirit that, combined with his skill and consistency, has made him the legendary athlete he is today.

Chopra starts slowly before finishing with a bang

Looking back at the Paris Olympics, Chopra had easily reached the men’s javelin final in one attempt, throwing 89.34 meters. His performance in the final, however, would have been considered a disappointment had Chopra not won silver with a season-best throw of 89.45 meters on his second attempt, as every other throw he threw was a foul.

The intensity of his second attempt was such that it ended up landing nearly two meters further than the throw that won him the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. And if not for the monstrous throw from his rival and good friend Arshad Nadeem, Chopra could have walked away with a second consecutive Olympic gold medal.

Read | After Paris Disappointment, Chopra Explains How India Can Do Better at Olympics

His performance at the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne last Thursday, however, could not have been more similar, or more different. For starters, the 26-year-old made no mistakes at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, unlike at the Stade de France where he constantly struggled to find his rhythm.

Grenada’s Anderson Peters and Germany’s Julian Weber got off to a flying start, recording throws of over 85 metres on their first two attempts and hitting 88.49m and 87.09m respectively on their second throws.

Chopra, for his part, started with a relatively sedate throw of 82.10m, followed by 83.21m, 83.13m and 82.34m. Throughout, he fluctuated between third and fourth position, briefly being overtaken by the likes of Artur Felfner of Ukraine and Roderick Dean of Japan.

What really set Chopra’s performance in Lausanne apart from his performance in Paris earlier this year was the way he finished. In the former, it was the way the military man saved his best for last that was not only a joy to watch, but nearly resulted in a victory. Chopra, with a throw of 85.58m on his fifth attempt, moved into third place. By then, Chopra was already in fifth gear and let out a triumphant roar on his final throw – a roar that is often followed by winning throws.

Chopra managed to surpass his best throw from the previous season by just four centimetres to record his second-best throw of all time (89.49m), although he once again fell heartbreakingly short of the magical 90-metre mark that has eluded him throughout his career.

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And just like Paris, Chopra could have come away with a victory in Lausanne if not for a monstrous throw of 90.61 metres – a competition record – from Peters that had the Grenadian celebrating even though it was the first of three attempts in the final round.

Peters opened with a throw of 86.36m and, apart from a modest fifth attempt measuring 82.22m, did not let up at any point in the event and came away a deserved winner. Chopra and Weber, meanwhile, had contrasting performances, one reaching his peak too early while the other set off with clinical acceleration towards the end.

By finishing second, Chopra continued his consistent streak of finishing in the top two in every event since the Tokyo Olympics.

“At the beginning I didn’t have a good feeling, but I’m happy with my throw, especially the second best throw of my career on my last attempt. It was a tough start, but the comeback was very enjoyable and I appreciated the fighting spirit I showed.

“Even though my first throws were around 80-83m, I gave it my all in the last two attempts and finished strong. When competing at this high level, it is important to stay mentally strong and fight,” Chopra said after the event.

The road ahead

The Indian currently sits third in the Diamond League javelin rankings with 14 points from two appearances, finishing second in Doha and Lausanne. And he looks set to qualify for the finals in Brussels next month, even if he decides not to compete in Zurich.

Given his current physical condition, Chopra may be tempted to save his energy for the main event and save his best for last, as he did in Lausanne. He will be sidelined for several months if he goes under the knife, and will likely aim to defend his gold medal at next year’s world championships in Tokyo once he is back to full fitness.

Chopra would like things to go that way in the coming weeks, winning a second Diamond Trophy. And a victory in Brussels could help ease the disappointment of missing out on gold in Paris.