Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra began his Diamond League title defence with a comfortable win in the season-opening leg in Doha on Friday, with a world leading and fourth career-best effort.
Though he still fell short of the elusive 90m mark at the Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium, Chopra will take heart from the victory in a tough field that had world champion Anderson Peters and Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic.
Given the way Chopra opened with 88.67m, he would have backed himself to breach the 90m mark. Chopra came after Peters began the contest with a throw of 85.88m and it immediately put the field under pressure.
Chopra’s series was 88.67m, 86.04m, 85.47, foul, 84.37m, 86.52m. Valdejch, who has the season’s leading throw before Chopra, kept everyone on their toes with throws of 88.63m and 88.47m and finished second. Peters came third with a best throw of 85.88m.
Having opened his season with a victory against a quality field, the 25-year-old Chopra will draw confidence for the major competitions this season — World Championships (August), Asian Games (September).
Going into the Doha meet, Chopra had exuded confidence in breaching the 90m mark. In three competitions last year, he crossed 89m but had fallen agonisingly falling short each time. When he got his personal best of 89.94m in Stockholm, it looked like a matter of time before he hit the mark.