Who will be Neeraj Chopra's challengers at Diamond League Finals 2024?

Published at :September 13, 2024 at 3:48 PM

Modified at :September 14, 2024 at 11:12 PM

Paris Olympics bronze medallist Anderson Peters will be Neeraj Chopra’s key challenger.

Athletics’ marquee competition, the Diamond League, reaches its climax in Brussels from 13-14 September 2024. The Diamond League Finals 2024 will see the top athletes challenge their rivals to take the crown.

An extended version of this 15-event sports spectacle is into its 15th season and has been the battleground for track and field’s best since 2010. With the world’s best going all guns blazing, all eyes will be on the men’s javelin throw with the “golden arm” of India, Neeraj Chopra looking to seal his legacy.

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The 2020 Olympic champion comes back into the finals with a glittering resume in 2024, having opened his season explosively at the Doha Diamond League, where he hurled the spear at a distance of 88.36m for second place.

He further fanned home crowd frenzy to win gold at the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar. He was close to breaching the 90m-mark in Paris with a mighty throw of 89.45m, which fetched him silver as Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem took home gold with an Olympic record of 92.97m.

Also Read: Neeraj Chopra qualifies for Diamond League finals 2024 in Brussels

This time with javelins getting ready to fly in Brussels, Chopra drops into a field of formidable opponents, each hungry to claim the Diamond League title. Let’s dive into the stories of the challengers looking to out-throw India’s javelin superstar.

Anderson Peters

Grenadian javelin star Anderson Peters will go into the Diamond League Finals as one of the top contenders. The two-time world champion has had an exceptional 2024 season so far. He opened his season at the Doha Diamond League, competing with the best in the world. Peters brought that fighting spirit to the Paris Olympics, finishing third with a far-reaching throw of 88.54m in a closely-contested event.

After the Olympics, Peters sent shockwaves in the javelin world, first with a 90.61-meter throw to win at the Lausanne Diamond League ahead of none other than the great Neeraj Chopra.

He kept his winning rhythm and won gold at the Diamond League in Zurich with a throw of 85.72m. Peters has managed a podium finish in all of the Diamond League events in 2024. He came in third in Doha, second in Paris and first in Zurich and Lausanne.

Still only 29 years of age, Peters has already claimed two World Championship gold medals and is now hungry for Diamond League success.

Julian Weber

Julian Weber of Germany is the javelin sensation as he storms into the finals as one of the top favourites in the Diamond League. The Ostrava Golden Spike meet saw him finish first with an 87.26-meter missile. When the stakes were highest in Paris, Weber finished sixth with 87.40m. Weber’s technical mastery and ice-cold composure under pressure make him a perennial threat.

He can boast of putting together a string of top-eight finishes at major championships, including the Olympics and World Championships-fair indication that he can deliver when it counts most.

Jakub Vadlejch

Czechia’s Jakub Vadlejch, comes into the Diamond League Finals with gold in his sight. The European champion’s campaign blazed into life at the Doha Diamond League on May 10, as he uncorked a 88.38-meter throw that saw him straight to the top at the start of the season. But, the mercurial Czech was only just getting into his stride.

Fast forward to the Rome Diamond League, Vadlejch reached new heights by sending the javelin flying to a staggering 88.65m. But, since then the Czechia star’s story has been one of near misses, with Valdejch finishing fourth at the Paris Olympics, narrowly missing the podium by four centimeters.

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