'Perfect place to start season,’ Neeraj Chopra to begin at Doha Diamond League
The Indian javelin thrower last competed at the 2023 Asian Games. Kishore Jena will also be in action at Doha, marking his Diamond League debut.
Athletics
Olympic champion Neera Chopra will get his 2024 athletics season underway at the Doha Diamond League meet in May.
Chopra is also the reigning world champion in men’s javelin throw and he became the first Indian athlete to win the Diamond League in 2022.
The Diamond League is an annual series of athletics competitions -- comprising several disciplines -- held over the year. Athletes earn points from each series in their respective events in an attempt to qualify for the season-ending Diamond League Finals.
Neeraj Chopra finished second in the Diamond League last season, finishing behind the Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch, the Tokyo 2020 silver medallist, in the finals .
The two are set to square off against each other at the Qatar Sports Club in Doha on May 10. Former world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada will also be in fray. Chopra had beaten both Vadlejch and Peters in Doha last season.
Chopra’s compatriot Kishore Jena will also be in contention in the men’s javelin throw competition at Doha. He will be making bhis Diamond League debut. Both athletes were last involved in competitive action at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, where Chopra defended his title and Jena settled for silver.
European champion Julian Weber, representing Germany, World Championships finalist Oliver Helander of Finland, Japan’s Roderick Genki Dean, Asian Championships gold medallist, are also in the start list for Doha.
“This year, my personal goal is to defend my Olympic title, but it would also mean a lot to me to break the 90m barrier. The Doha meeting, with good conditions and a great atmosphere, is a perfect opportunity to get my season off to the best start,” Neeraj Chopra told the Diamond League website.
“I’m always overwhelmed by the warm support I get from Indians across the world and in Qatar that is particularly special. I feel privileged that so many people come out to support me and I hope I can repay their faith in me with a good performance,” the 26-year-old added.
The Diamond League 2024 series starts in Xiamen, the People’s Republic of China on April 20 and the final will be held in Brussels in September. The Doha leg is the third event of the series.