Below-par Neeraj Chopra finishes second in Diamond League Final; Weber on top with 91.51 m throw

Zurich, Aug 29 (IANS) World Champion Neeraj Chopra produced his best throw of the night on his sixth and final turn -- hurling the javelin to 85.01 -- to finish second in the season-ending Diamond League Final here on Thursday night. Chopra was placed third at 84.35 with two legal throws, followed by three fouls, but moved up to second place, overtaking Keshorn Walcott, with his last-ditch effort.

The runner-up finish also helped the Indian legend and reigning World Champion keep his incredible streak of 26 consecutive top-two finishes alive at the international stage.

In a meet held a few weeks before the upcoming World Championships in Tokyo in October, Chopra failed to retain the title he had won the previous year, finishing third with a best effort of 84.35 metres, which fell short of his personal best of 90.23m in the seven-player field in this Swiss city.

The defending champion Chopra struggled to find his rhythm and made mistakes in his technique as he struggled to produce his best. The eventual winner, Julian Weber, came up with his personal best and world-leading distance in the first round itself, a massive heave that landed the spear at 91.37 metres, improving on his previous best of 90.06m, which killed the competition in the first few minutes itself..

Former World Champion Anderson Peters finished fourth with a best throw of 82.06 as most of the others, barring Weber, failed to produce their best in the two-day event.

The 27-year-old Chopra, who won the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics and followed it up with a silver in Paris last year, started with a throw of 84.35m in his first turn, which placed him in third place behind Julian Weber of Germany, who started with a massive 91.37m, and Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago, who started with an 84.95.

Both Walcott and Chopra produced throws of 79.91m and 82.00m, Weber surged ahead with a 91.51 monster that virtually sealed the first place for him. He and Chopra both fouled their third attempt, while the Indian two-time Olympic medallist fouled his next attempt too. Weber (83.66m) and Walcott (81.78m) produced throws that had no bearing on the overall result.

Chopra fouled his fifth attempt also, while Walcott managed a pedestrian 77.00, and Weber managed the third-best throw of the competition at 86.45m. He moved past Walcott with a last-ditch sixth and final throw.

Chopra had qualified for the Diamond League Final by virtue of his first place in Paris in June with an effort of 88.16m. He had produced his personal best and a national record throw of 90.25m, his first effort beyond the 90m mark, in Doha in May, and was hoping to cross the 90 m mark again in Zurich.

--IANS

bsk/