There is hardly any doubt that Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is the best in the world right now, and has won every possible tournament possible in the last few years. On Saturday, even though he could not defend his title at the Diamond League Finals, yet he finished a close second.
Also Read: WATCH Neeraj Chopra battles windy conditions at Diamond League Finals
Neeraj Chopra finished behind the Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch with a best throw of 83.80m. Considering the windy conditions, even though not at par with his usual standards, the Indian came up with a decent performance. But the 2017 and 2018 champion Vadlejch pipped him narrowly and deservedly won the Diamond League Final title for the third time.
The Neeraj Chopra-Jakub Vadlejch Rivalry
This result only goes on to show the tough competition in men’s javelin throw at the moment. Neeraj Chopra had beaten his Czech rival at the Tokyo Olympics as well as the 2023 World Championships but fell short this time around. But finally, Vadlejch managed to beat the 25-year-old Indian and acknowledged the fact that it is ‘It’s always tough competing with Neeraj’.
“It’s always tough competing with Neeraj, but victory is for me, very valuable. I’m still dreaming. I felt very well. It’s very difficult, especially at my age, I’m almost 33 years old, so it’s difficult but javelin throw is my life, so I love it,” Vadlejch said in the mixed zone after the victory.
“This is the end of season, and now rest and rest and rest. Tomorrow, maybe the day after tomorrow, I will fly to Prague and then I will lie in bed and nothing more,” he said.
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