Neeraj Chopra finishes seventh out of eight at Monaco Diamond League event

India's ace javelin star Neeraj Chopra had a relatively quiet outing at the Diamond League event in Monaco, where he finished in seventh place with a best throw of 78.92m. It was the 19-year-old's second appearance at the elite event, with the first coming earlier this month in Paris, where the Indian finished a creditable fifth.

Taking home the gold in Monaco was Germany's Thomas Rohler, who finished with a best distance of 89.17m, putting him comfortably ahead of the rest of the pack. He was followed by Czech athlete Jakub Vadlejch with a score of 85.43m, while it was another German on the podium with the bronze, in the form of world record holder Johannes Vetter.

The world mark of 94.44m was set earlier this month in Luzern by Vetter, but this time around, he finished with a best throw of 85.14m.

Chopra made a tentative start, recording a distance of 75.52m on his first throw. The next one was a foul, after which he made a decent improvement with a 78.58m effort. It was followed by throws of 76.10m and 75.37m, which kept him at his position in seventh place. However, he finished with a throw of 78.92m, which was his best effort of the night.

The Indian has been in great form recently, recording solid performances at the Diamond League Paris leg on July 2 and winning gold at the recently concluded Asian Athletics Championships.in Bhubhaneshwar, Odisha.

In France, he had recorded a brilliant distance of 84.67m, before he followed it up with a mammoth 85.23m at the continental event, which got him the first position and also broke the meet record.

The young lad from Panipat has had a quick rise to fame after he broke the junior world record last year. His 86.48m from the IAAF U20 World Championships last year continues to be his personal best, while his season best stands at 85.63m that he achieved at the Federation Cup in Patiala last month.

He will now take part in the IAAF World Championships in London, which start from August 8 onwards.