Neeraj Chopra had to settle for second position in the men’s javelin throw event at the Diamond League in Zurich. Chopra’s best throw was registered at 85.71m, and World Championships bronze medallist Jakub Vadlejch clinched gold with 85.86m and Germany’s Julian Weber came third with 85.04m.
Roger Federer was also present among the 25,000 crowd at the Letzigrund Stadium, to witness Neeraj and other top athletes from around the world. The tennis legend was in attendance with his wife Mirka and their daughters Charlene Riva and Myla Rose, and parents Robert and Lynette.
Reacting to Federer watching Neeraj, fans went wild on Twitter. Here are the reactions:
Neeraj, who is also the reigning Olympic champion, produced three legal throws of 80.79m, 85.22m and 85.71m, while his other three were fouls. Speaking after his event, Neeraj revealed that he was in good physical condition but a little tired after the World Championships in Budapest, where he sealed gold. He was unbeaten this season before Thursday, and qualified for the Diamond League finals in Eugene, USA, with 23 points from three meets. He bagged the Diamond League trophy last year.
Speaking after his silver medal, he said, “I feel very good now, because everyone is a little tired after the World Championships. We gave our 100 per cent there (in Budapest), but for this competition here my focus was to just stay healthy, and we have to focus now for Eugene (Diamond League finals on September 17) and then the (Hangzhou) Asian Games (from September 23).”
He has qualified for the finals in third position, behind Vadlejch (29 points) and Weber (25 points). Chopra also missed the Monaco leg of the Diamond League due to injury issues. Before winning his gold at the Worlds in Budapest, he participated in only two competitions, and won both of them (Diamond League meetings in Doha on May 5 and Lausanne on June 30).
Meanwhile, Murali Sreeshankar finished in fifth position in the men’s long jump, with a first round attempt of 7.99m. He also qualified for the Diamond League finals n third place on the standings with 14 points.Reacti
