Neeraj Chopra clinches Paris Diamond League: Key details
What's the story
Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra has won the Paris Diamond League on Friday, marking his first title of the 2025 season. He managed to fend off Julian Weber's challenge with a throw of 88.16m on his opening attempt. This is also Neeraj's first win at a Diamond League event since Lausanne in 2023 and his fifth overall. Here are further details.
Event highlights
Neeraj starts strong in Paris
Neeraj was making a return to the Paris Diamond League after eight years, having last competed there as a junior world champion. He started strong with an 88.16m throw on his first attempt, setting the benchmark for other competitors. Weber kept pushing Neeraj throughout their six attempts but couldn't surpass his mark.
Second attempt
Second throw of 85.10m
On his second attempt, Neeraj managed a throw of 85.10m while Weber couldn't better his first attempt and landed at 87.88m. The Indian ace struggled to find his rhythm after that and had three foul throws in a row. However, Weber couldn't surpass Neeraj's early mark either. As the weather changed at the venue with temperature dropping, throws became tougher for other competitors too.
Winning throw
Neeraj secures victory in his final attempt
In his final attempt, Neeraj landed at 82.89m while Weber could only manage 81.08m. This secured the Indian ace's victory at the Paris Diamond League. Mauricio Luiz da Silva made it to the top three with a personal best throw of 86.62m, pushing Walcott down from third place. Notaly, Paris was Neeraj's second Diamond League assignment of the season after Doha, where he breached the 90m mark for the first time with a throw of 90.23m.
Future events
Neeraj to next compete in Ostrava
Neeraj will next compete at the Golden Spike athletics meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic on June 24. After that, he will participate in the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic on July 4. The Indian star will enter this event with a title already under his belt after winning at the Paris Diamond League.