Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will not participate in Friday’s last leg of the coveted series in Brussels, Belgium, as he has already advanced to the high-profile Diamond League final.
Men’s javelin throw is on the schedule for four of the fourteen DL meets.
Despite participating in just two, Chopra earned a spot in the DL Final, which will take place on August 28 in Zurich, Switzerland. On August 16, he had also skipped the Silesia leg.
At the Doha DL in May, the 27-year-old defending world champion threw 90.23 meters, surpassing the desired 90-meter mark, although he came in second to German Julian Weber. Then, in June, he threw 88.16 meters to win the Paris DL.
The top six finishers from the Brussels leg advance to the Zurich DL Finals.
Chopra last competed on July 5 in Bengaluru at the NC Classic, where he won the title with a throw of 86.18 meters. He has participated in six competitions this season, taking home four victories and two second-place finishes.
At the World Championships, which will take place in Tokyo from September 13–21, Chopra will defend the title.
In international sports, the Diamond League is a top-tier one-day meeting series.
At the 14-series meetings, athletes compete for points in an attempt to earn a spot in the Diamond League Final, which will take place in Zurich on August 27 and 28.
In each of the 32 events, the DL Final is a winner-take-all contest. Each winner receives a wild card to the World Athletics Championships, USD 30,000 in prize money, and the iconic Diamond Trophy. The person in second place will receive USD 12,000, while the person in third place will receive USD 7,000.
On August 28, the men’s javelin competition will take place.
However, out of the 32, the victors of eight events this year—the 100-meter men’s, 1500-meter men’s, 400-meter hurdles men’s, pole vault men’s, 100-meter women’s, 100-meter hurdles women’s, 3000-meter women’s, and long jump women’s—will receive more money. The winner of the aforementioned competition will receive USD 50,000, while the runners-up will receive USD 20,000 and USD 10,000, respectively.
