New Delhi: Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Thursday produced a best throw of 89.49m to finish second at the Lausanne Diamond League while Grenada’s Anderson Peters came up with a brilliant final throw of 90.61m to take the top spot.
After throwing in the 83m range for most of the night, Neeraj made two clutch throws in the fifth and sixth attempts to maintain his record of being in the top two in international tournaments. The 26-year-old Neeraj struggled early on with throws of 82.10m, 83.21m and 83.13m. His inability to reach higher heights meant that the likes of Peters, Julian Weber, Artur Fellner and Roderick Dean Jenike overtook him. By the end of the fourth round of throws, Neeraj was in fourth place.
The reigning world champion then threw 85.58m in his fifth attempt to break into the top three, ensuring he could stay in contention for the final throw. The last time Neeraj finished outside the top three was in the Diamond League in Zurich in 2018.
Peters saved his best for last with a big throw of 90.61m, his season’s best and a meet record. Weber managed only 82.33m in his final throw.
Neeraj gave his best in the final throw but was disappointed as the javelin fell just short of the 90m mark. His throw of 89.49m is his best this season and his second-best performance so far, but he once again missed the 90m mark.