(Image source from: REUTERS)

For the third time in a row at the Diamond League Final, Neeraj Chopra, who has won two Olympic medals, placed second. In Zurich on Thursday, he achieved a best throw of 85.01 meters, securing the second position in the men's javelin final. Julian Weber from Germany won his first title, consistently throwing over 90 meters in an impressive performance. Chopra, the 2022 Diamond League champion at this same location, was in third place until the fifth round. He started with a throw of 84.35 meters, then with a throw of 85.01 meters, he moved up to second place, surpassing Keshorn Walcott from Trinidad and Tobago, who finished third with a throw of 84.95 meters. Weber set a new seasonal best throw of 91.57 meters, which is also his personal best, on his second throw. He opened with a throw of 91.37 meters, and after that, he dominated the competition among the seven athletes.

None of Weber's competitors could come close to his distance, as his top throw on the day was more than six meters ahead of Chopra's best. After his second throw, the German had a foul throw, an 83.66-meter throw, followed by throws of 86.45 meters and 88.66 meters. It was clear that Chopra was not at his peak in this year’s Diamond League final. Out of his six attempts, he had only three legal throws. Normally known for his ability to throw over 88 meters consistently, it was unusual for the 27-year-old Indian athlete to just reach 85 meters. He aimed to win back the trophy he had secured in 2022 but ended up taking second place for the third time after finishing in this position in both 2023 and 2024.

Anderson Peters from Grenada, the defending champion, finished fourth with a throw of 82.06 meters. Chopra did not perform as expected, starting with a throw of 84.35 meters, then following it with an 82-meter throw and a foul. He was in third place at the halfway point, but he fouled on his fourth and fifth attempts before achieving 85.01 meters on his last throw.

Weber’s accomplishment was also his third throw over 90 meters this season and in his career. He had thrown over 90 meters with a 91.06-meter throw while winning the Doha Diamond League title on May 16. Chopra had also surpassed the 90-meter mark in Doha with a throw of 90.23 meters, but he finished behind Weber in that event. Now, Chopra is set to go to Tokyo for the World Championships next month, where he will defend his title.