Neeraj Chopra to start 2024 season at Doha Diamond League on May 10

Competing against the 26-year-old Neeraj at Doha will be the likes of Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch and former world champion Anderson Peters.

By: Sports Desk

Updated: March 28, 2024 05:13 PM IST

3 min read

Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Kumar Jena celebrate after securing gold and silver medal respectively in the Men's Javelin Throw Final event at the 19th Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China in October 2023. (PTI file)

Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Kumar Jena celebrate after securing gold and silver medal in the men's javelin throw event at the Asian Games in Hangzhou in October 2023. (PTI file image)

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra will start his 2024 season at the Qatar Sports Club in May this year when he competes in the Doha Diamond League. This is an important year for Neeraj, who is hoping to defend his Olympic gold medal at the Paris Olympics later this year in July-August.

Neeraj Chopra is the reigning world and Olympic champion in the men’s javelin throw event heading into the 2024 season. He became the first Indian athlete ever to be crowned the Diamond League champion when he clinched the Diamond Trophy in 2022.

Competing against the 26-year-old Neeraj at Doha will be the likes of Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch and former world champion Anderson Peters. At the Doha Diamond League meet last season, Neeraj had defeated both Vadlejch and Peters with an impressive 88.67m heave.

The trio will be joined at the Doha Diamond League meet by European champion Julian Weber (Germany, personal best of 89.54m), World Championships finalist Oliver Helander (Fimland, PB 89.83m), Qatari national record holder Ahmed Bader Magour (Qatar, PB 85.23m), Asian Games silver medallist and World Championships finalist Kishore Jena (India, PB 87.54m), World University Games champion Edis Matusevicius (Lithuania, PB 89.17m), Asian champion and Asian Games bronze medallist Roderick Genki Dean (Japan, PB 84.28m), Moldovan record holder and Olympic finalist Andrian Mardare (Moldova, PB 86.66m) and Pan American Games champion Curtis Thompson (USA, PB 87.70m).

“Last year my dream was to win the World Championships, but to have three Indian athletes competing in the final – that shows we’re progressing as a nation,” said Neeraj in a statement by Diamond League. “This year, my personal goal is to defend my Olympic title, but it would also mean a lot to me to break the 90m barrier. The Doha Meeting, with good conditions and a great atmosphere, is a perfect opportunity to get my season off to the best start. I’m always overwhelmed by the warm support I get from Indians across the world and in Qatar that is particularly special. I feel privileged that so many people come out to support me and I hope I can repay their faith in me with a good performance.”

The Doha meeting is the third meeting of the 2024 Diamond League. The series comprises 15 meetings in total across four different continents, starting with Xiamen on 20 April and concluding with a single final across two days in Brussels (13-14 September).

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