Neeraj Chopra will return to action on Friday, August 26 at the Lausanne Diamond League in Switzerland. The Tokyo Olympics champion will look to regain top form as he is back in action after having missed the Commonwealth Games due to a minor groin injury.
Neeraj Chopra did not defend his title at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham as he opted out of the Games to deal with the groin issue he had picked up during his historic silver medal-winning finish at the Eugene World Championships in July.
Neeraj Chopra has an opportunity to cement his place in the Diamond League Finals, scheduled for September 7 and 8 in Zurich. The 24-year-old is currently 4th on the Diamond League qualifiers standing in men’s javelin. Only the top 6 at the end of the Lausanne meet will make it to the Diamond League Finals.
The Lausanne event is the last leg which has the men’s javelin throw competition.
Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Jakub Vadlejch, who will be in action in Lausanne, is on top of the qualifiers standing with 20 points.
Germany’s Julian Weber is at the 2nd spot with 19 points while reigning world champion Anderson Peters is at the 3rd spot with 16 points.
Neeraj Chopra is in the 4th spot with 7 points that he gained from finishing 2nd at the Stockholm Diamond League.
While Vadlejch will be in action with Neeraj on Friday, both Weber and Peters, who was injured during an attack on a boat in Grenada, will miss the Lausanne meet.
London Olympics champion Keshorn Walcott, who has not been in the best of forms, is also in the fray.
Three athletes who are below Chopra in the Diamond League standings — Latvians Gatis Cakss and Patriks Gailums, and Curtis Thompson of USA — are also taking part in Lausanne Diamond League.
As of August 25, 2022
All eyes will be on Neeraj on Friday as it remains to be seen how far the Indian star can hurl the spear after having undergone rehabilitation in Germany. Neeraj broke his own national record and achieved a new personal best of 89.94 at the Stockholm Diamond League.
He finished with a silver medal at the World Championships with 88.13m. Neeraj will be keen on breaching the 90m-mark but it remains to be seen whether Chopra will push himself hard on return to action.
There were doubts over Neeraj’s participation in the Lausanne Diamond League but the star javelin thrower said earlier this week that he was feeling ready for the comeback.
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