Picture Credit: Twitter
Olympic gold medal l ist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has added another feather to his illustrious cap as he clinched Diamond Trophy in Zurich on Thursday night. With the throw of 88.44m, Neeraj eased past second-best thrower Jakub Vadlejch from Czech Republic and became the first Indian to win the tournament. The Indian javelin thrower marked the distance of X, 88.44m, 88, 86.11, 87m.
Chopra had a disappointing start to his quest to lift the prestigious title as his first attempt was red flagged but Indian took the lead in the second round with his best throw of the day. Minutes after Czech thrower clocked the distance of 86m, Chopra registered the distance of 88.4m in his second attempt and set the perfect tone for the final clash.
Due to the absence of world champion Anderson Peters from the tournament, Chopra didn't face a stiff challenge as he clocked the distance of 88m in his third attempt. Meanwhile, Vadlejch improved his figures in his second attempt with a distance of 86.94m, while Julian Weber from Germany could not deliver an impressive performance.
However, Chopra kept on improving his performance as he once again threw to the distance of 87m in his final attempt as his opponents were struggling to challenge the Indian thrower. USA's Curtis Thompson took the fourth spot with an 82.10m throw, while Patriks Gailums (80.44m) and Portugal's Leandro Ramos (71.96) secured the remaining spots.