Neeraj Chopra Aims to Maintain Unbeaten Streak in Diamond League Javelin Throw Meet

Neeraj Chopra, the reigning Olympic and world champion in the javelin throw, plans to keep his perfect record intact in the next Diamond League competition on Thursday.

Chopra is still advancing his reputation in the javelin throwing world in the wake of his most recent triumph, when he won his first World Championships gold in Budapest with a stunning throw of 88.17m. Among the Indian star's accomplishments is her silver medal from the 2022 competition.

With his most recent victory, Chopra joined a small handful of javelin throwers who have pulled off the incredible accomplishment of winning both the Olympic and World Championship championships. In this elite group are Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway and world record holder Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic.

In addition to winning the World Championships in 1993, 1995, and 2001, Zelezny won the Olympic gold medal in 1992, 1996, and 2000. On the other side, Thorkildsen won gold at both the 2009 World Championships and the 2008 Olympics.

Before winning the World Championships, the 25-year-old Chopra maintained an undefeated record this year by winning two Diamond League contests in Doha (May 5) and Lausanne (June 30).

Chopra is expected to compete against well-known foes including Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, who won bronze in Budapest with a throw of 86.67 meters, Julian Weber of Germany, and Anderson Peters of Grenada, a two-time world champion.

Notably, Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, the silver medallist from Budapest, would be the only one not present in Zurich.

Around 12:10 a.m. (IST), on Friday, Chopra is slated to play in the Zurich Diamond League contest, also known as Weltklasse Zürich.

Chopra addressed the difficulties he had at the World Championships owing to a groin issue that restricted his participation in competitions this year when speaking at a pre-event news conference in Zurich. He was pleased with his mental preparation and tactical tweaks, which helped him win.

In the Diamond League standings, Chopra is now in third place with 16 points from two competitions, but he is still determined to attain the one remaining milestone of 90 meters.

The competition promises to be fierce as only the top six in the points table will earn the coveted opportunity to compete for the Diamond League championship title. The Zurich leg is the penultimate event in the Diamond League series for men's javelin throw before the season finale in Eugene, USA, on September 16-17.