World champion Neeraj Chopra eyes another Diamond League victory in Zurich

The Zurich Diamond League 2023 is scheduled to be held on Thursday, August 31. At this prestigious track and field event, India's biggest hope will be the new world champion in the men's javelin throw, Neeraj Chopra.

The 25-year-old clinched a gold medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest on August 27. With a massive throw of 88.17m, he claimed the top spot on the podium.

Having scripted history just a week ago in Hungary, the remarkable athlete is in the form of his life. Neeraj will aim to carry the winning momentum to the upcoming mega event, where he will face tough competition from Jakub Vadlejch (Czech Republic), Anderson Peters (Grenada) and Julian Weber (Germany).

The star javelin thrower is also the reigning Olympic champion. In 2021, in Tokyo, he became the first Indian to win track and field gold. In addition, he is also the first athlete from the country to clinch gold at the World Athletics Championships.

It must be noted that, in the 2023 Diamond League qualification standings for men's javelin throw, Chopra is in third position with 16 points as of now. Vadlejch is at the top with 21 points, while Weber is placed second with 19 points.

Another Indian athlete to watch out for in Zurich is the talented long jumper Murali Sreeshankar. The 24-year-old finished third in the men's long jump at the Paris leg of the Diamond League earlier this year and is in good form. Nevertheless, he could not do well at the recently concluded World Championships. Therefore, he has an opportunity to make a mark in Zurich.

However, India's strongest prospect for a podium finish at the big event will definitely be the World Champion javelin thrower, Neeraj Chopra. He has done exceedingly well throughout the season and is expected to do the same on Thursday as well. Later this year, the Diamond League's final will be held on September 16-17 in Eugene.

Neeraj Chopra's noteworthy performances

Neeraj Chopra has been brilliant in 2023. He won the Doha leg of the Diamond League with a throw of 88.67m. Thereafter, he secured first position at the Lausanne leg with an effort of 87.66m.

Not to forget, Chopra is also the reigning Diamond League champion in the men's javelin throw event. In 2022, he won the final held in Zurich with a huge 88.44m effort. His consistency makes him a strong contender for the coveted trophy in 2023 as well.