Neeraj Chopra struggled to retain his title in the Diamond League 2023 final as finished second with an 83.80 metre throw in Men’s Javelin Throw event at Eugene’s Hayward Field on Saturday (September 16). Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch claimed the title with a brilliant 84.24 metre throw in his first attempt to register his third title in Diamond League Finals history.
Neeraj registered a foul in his first attempt but made a good comeback in the second attempt with a throw of 83.80 metres. He recorded 81.37m, 80.74m, and 80.90m throws in his following attempts as he struggled to surpass Vadlejch’s mark. Finland’s Helander Oliver finished in third place with a throw of 83.74.
Mardare Andrian finished third with an 81.79 metre throw during his last attempt. USA’s Thompson Curtis and Grenada’s Peters Anderson failed to reach the 80-metre mark in their six attempts to finish in the last two positions. Mardare Andrian was the only player to successfully deliver all six throws as his competitors registered at least one foul at Hayward Field.
Neeraj, a defending champion, notably beat Vadlejch in the final of the 2022 edition to give India their first title at any event in the Diamond League history. Vadlejch also finished third after Neeraj and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem in the World Athletics Championships 2023 final but finished the Diamon League season with a stunning triumph.
Vadlejch, 32, wins his third title in Diamond League history after a gap of seven years. He took the lead with his first attempt throw of 84.01 but recorded three consecutive fouls in his following throws. However, his opponents failed to reach his first attempt mark as Vadlejch finished the game with the best throw of the day, 84.24 meters.
The World Athletics and the Olympic winner will return to action soon for the Asian Games 2023 starting on September 19 in China’s Hangzhou.