The Diamond League Final 2023 will be held in Eugene, USA from September 16-17. At this prestigious track and field event, top athletes from different countries will compete for the coveted trophy.
At the mega event, star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will look to defend his title. He is the reigning Diamond League champion, having won the finals last year in Zurich, with a throw of 88.44m.
The reigning Olympic Champion in the men's javelin throw claimed gold at the recently concluded World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. He has also qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024.
Neeraj produced his season's best throw of 88.77m in the qualification round of the men's javelin event, at the 2023 World Championships. Meanwhile, his personal best throw is 89.94m. He will now aim to breach the 90m mark in addition to his title defense in Eugene.
Neeraj Chopra's notable Diamond League performances in 2023
The 25-year-old won the Doha Diamond League with an impressive 88.67m throw. Later, he secured the top spot on the podium at the Lausanne leg, with a throw of 87.66m.
However, at the Zurich meet in August, Chopra finished in second position with an 85.71m throw. It is worth mentioning that he made it to the final, having earned 23 qualification points overall.
At this year's Diamond League Final (at Hayward Field), the javelin throwers who will challenge Neeraj Chopra include Jakub Vadlejch (Czech Republic), Julian Weber (Germany) and Anderson Peters (Grenada).
Vadlejch won silver at the Tokyo Olympics, and bronze at the World Championships (2022 and 2023). Meanwhile, Anderson Peters clinched gold at the 2022 World Championships and has crossed the 90m mark on several occasions.
Nevertheless, Chopra will be one of the favorites for the coveted trophy. The star athlete has accomplished a lot in his career so far. He has already clinched gold medals at the Asian Games (2018), Commonwealth Games (2018), Olympics (2021) and World Championships (2023).