Double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra is all set to take part in the upcoming Lausanne Diamond League later this month, with his biggest Asian rivals Arshad Nadeem and Rumesh Pathirage also in the field,
as the battle for the final at Brussels shapes up.
The event is scheduled for August 21.
In fact, the event will feature five participants who competed at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, which ended on Sunday, August 2.
Chopra, who claimed silver in Glasgow with a season-best throw of 85.83m in just his second competition after returning from injury, will take on a star-studded field that includes Nadeem, reigning world champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago, former world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, former Olympic champion Thomas Röhler of Germany and Pathirage.
The elite field also features Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, Germany’s Julian Weber, Switzerland’s Simon Wieland and American Curtis Thompson, the world No. 2 this season.
“The five javelin superstars, who have won the last four Olympic Games and World Championships, will be at Athletissima on August 21 for a competition of exceptional quality,” the organisers said in a release.
The Lausanne Diamond League will mark Chopra’s third competition since returning from the lower-back injury that ruled him out in September last year.
The 28-year-old started his season by finishing fourth at the Doha Diamond League with a throw of 85.69m in June before bettering that mark to 85.83m to clinch silver at the CWG.
“Although we always want the National anthem to play, I did my season’s best and the comeback is going okay. There are other competitions as well. I am happy,” Chopra said after his silver medal win at CWG.
Chopra finished runner-up at the Lausanne Diamond League in 2024 with a career fourth-best throw of 89.49m, having won the title two years earlier with an effort of 89.08m.
