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2021 Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra marked an incredible return after injury at the 2022 Diamond League in Lausanne, Switzerland on Friday (August 26). He recorded a monstrous 89.08m throw to comfortably clinch a first-place finish in the javelin throw.
Chopra, 24, was making a comeback after a groin injury that he sustained during the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon. He clinched a historic silver medal at that event.
He was also forced to opt out of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, meaning he couldn't defend his title at the quadrennial showpiece event.
Neeraj Chopra (89.08m), Jakub Vadlejch (85.88m), and Curtis Thompson (83.72m) swept the gold, silver, and bronze medals respectively at the Diamond League.
It was no surprise when he was welcomed with thunderous applause from the crowd, with a few Indian flags in the audience cheering for the superstar.
The Javelin ace doesn’t like to take it towards the end as his massive throws usually come early on in the competition. Lausanne Diamond League was no different as Neeraj set the tone for the competition from his very first throw.
Neeraj Chopra got off to a solid start with a massive 89.08m, just shy of his personal best after his first attempt to take a massive lead.
In the second attempt, he cleared a distance of 85.15. It was not a great throw, however, no other javelin thrower after the end of the second round could challenge the 89m mark from Neeraj yet. He skipped his third throw as he was leading comfortably when compared to the other athletes.
Despite a foul on his fourth and skipping his fifth attempt, Neeraj wasn't bothered as he continued to lead the points table after the fifth round.
At the end of the fifth round, Neeraj was sitting atop the points table. Meanwhile, Czech Republic's Vadlejch Jakub crawled up after his fifth attempt of 85.88m to be placed second. Whereas Thompson Curtis of the USA was placed third after clearing the distance of 83.72m at his best first attempt.
The champion then hurled a spear very high to a distance of 80.04m, while he then waited for Jakub's final throw. However, none of the javelin throwers were really a challenge for the Indian ace.
Not only did Neeraj finish first, he continued his record-breaking spree to become the first ever Indian to win the Diamond League. He also qualified for the 2022 Zurich Diamond League Finals scheduled to take place on September 7-8, 2022.
Twitter reacts to Neeraj Chopra's consistency
Fans online were filled with a sense of pride as India witnessed yet another podium finish from the Golden Boy of Indian Athletics, Neeraj Chopra.
His consistency has been a testimony to his unwavering mindset and his approach towards the sport.
He returned to the international stage following a long break after the 2021 Olympics. He has now made a comeback after a groin injury to finish on top in Lausanne. Even after all these comebacks, Neeraj has always given beyond his 100% efforts while competing.
After his gold medal-winning performance in Switzerland, fans took to Twitter to share their appreciation for Neeraj Chopra.
Here are some of the reactions from the Twitteratis:
