In the end, it was just a question of 2 centimeters. Neeraj Chopra missed out on a first-place finish at the Doha Diamond League by a whisker, despite a best attempt of 88.36m on Friday. His closest rival Jakub Vadlejch pipped him by the narrowest of margins to emerge top in the list of the finest javelin athletes in the world.
Despite the disappointment, there was a silver-lining for the Haryana athlete. For sometime, Neeraj Chopra was emerging to be an athlete, who would give it his best in the first or second attempts, while his latter throws wouldn’t be as rewarding. His gold-medal winning effort in Tokyo 2020 came in his second attempt, while his personal best of 89.94m, at the Stockholm Diamond League in 2022, came in his first attempt.
But that wasn’t the case on Friday. He started off with a foul, followed by a throw of 84.93m. In the third it was a better one at 86.24m. By this time, he was chasing the leader of the pack, Jakub — at 88.38. But Neeraj had enough left in the tank to come close to the mark. Eventually, it was 88.36m.
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Neeraj Chopra Not Satisfied with Effort in Doha
“I felt good that I threw over 88. I am satisfied with the result, but not satisfied with my effort. I need work hard and maybe in the next competition, I will throw far,” Neeraj said. “Today I felt I could do it, but somewhere I could not. Maybe God wants me to do it somewhere else. I told yesterday that I am happy with my consistent performances. I will throw over 90 metres,” he added.
What Does it Mean for Neeraj’s Opponents?
Commenting on his prowess to go full tilt in the fifth and sixth throws, Neeraj told reporters, “It’s a good thing for me. That feeling where everyone felt that first throw would be my best, will go away now. The good thing is, if the competition gets stretched, then I can bounce back in the last throw as well. I have the confidence to make it happen in any throw.”
Now, just imagine, Neeraj’s consistency paired with his ability to produce his best even in his last throw, gives him somewhat of an edge over the best in the world. Even if he is found chasing the leader, it is a given that Neeraj will beat you.
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