Neeraj Chopra becomes first athlete to bag Diamond League trophy

His second attempt of 88.44m couldn't be bettered in the final.

The Indian javelin thrower received a Diamond Trophy after winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics and silver at the World Championships. Chopra became the first Indian to win the prestigious Diamond League trophy, a top-tier athletics competition on Thursday. Chopra clinched one of his career's biggest wins with the best throw of 88.44 m in his second attempt.

Chopra's second attempt couldn't be bettered the whole night. Neeraj Chopra began with a foul throw as Olympic Silver medalist and former Diamond League Champion Jakub Vadleich led the way with an 84.15 on his first attempt.

Four impressive throws on the trot

Neeraj Chopra's first attempt was ruled a 'no throw'. Meanwhile, Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic took the lead with a throw of 84.15 meters. 

On the second throw, however, Neeraj Chopra turned things around and gave his all, throwing 88.44m to seal the deal. Meanwhile, Jakub Vadleich was the only competitor within throwing distance, as he improved on his first throw and threw the javelin 86m.

Chopra followed up with another massive hurl of 88.00m in the third throw, and a javelin throw of 86.11m in the fourth. On the fifth throw, Neeraj Chopra was still working hard, but he could only manage an 87m. Vadleich's game had also improved by this point, with a throw of 86.94m in the fourth round but that was enough to beat the golden boy of India.

Twitter Reaction

Netizens were ecstatic that the 24-year-old is now an Olympic champion, World Championships silver medalist, and Diamond League champion. Here is how Twitter reacted:

https://twitter.com/mirabai_chanu/status/1568060644251025415

https://twitter.com/adgpi/status/1568048860999852033

https://twitter.com/subhsays/status/1567949846660935680

https://twitter.com/DeepakJainTinu/status/1568095796461211651

History Created by Neeraj Chopra

Chopra's final throw was 83.60m, but the job was already done, and India had made Diamond League history.

The reigning Olympic champion, as the overwhelming favourite, displayed supreme confidence and was extremely consistent throughout the event, reclaiming the one medal missing from his cabinet - the coveted Diamond League honour. Chopra ensured that he did not leave empty-handed in his third appearance at a Diamond League Final, putting on a strong performance to claim the title, a feat that had eluded him since 2017.

He had already broken the National Record twice this season, first at the Paavo Nurmi Games with a throw of 89.30m, and then at the Stockholm Diamond League with a throw of 89.94m. Chopra the ‘Golden Boy of India’ is desperately looking for that 90m mark in his future competitions.