Neeraj Chopra Likely to Feature in Lausanne Diamond League 2023

World No.1 javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will likely return to competitive action at the Lausanne Diamond League 2023 in Switzerland on June 30. Neeraj Chopra, the reigning Diamond League javelin throw champion, started his season with his fourth-best throw of 88.67m at the Doha Diamond League in May.

However, Neeraj Chopra suffered a muscle strain while training and withdrew from the FBK Games in the Netherlands on June 4 and the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland on June 13.

According to Indian athletics chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair, Neeraj Chopra is yet to fully recover from his injury. “He started his training last week and should be in good health by the end of this month,” Nair told PTI on Wednesday. However, as per the Diamond League website, Neeraj Chopra has now been listed to compete at Lausanne.

The Indian javelin ace has also been slated to take part in the Ostrava Golden Spike athletics meet in the Czech Republic on June 27. At Lausanne, Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra will be up against Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic.

Jakub Vadlejch’s 89.51m throw to win the Paavo Nurmi Games is world-leading ahead of Neeraj Chopra’s 88.67m. Germany’s Julian Weber, who finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, has the third-best throw this season at 88.37m. Weber is also slated to compete at Lausanne Diamond League 2023.

Neeraj Chopra also leads the men’s javelin throw points table at Diamond League 2023 with eight points courtesy of the Doha Diamond League win. Last year, Neeraj Chopra clinched the top spot at the Lausanne Diamond League with an impressive 89.08m throw. Neeraj Chopra’s personal best is 89.94m he achieved at the Stockholm Diamond League last year.