Neeraj Chopra of India came in second in the men’s javelin throw competition at the Zurich Diamond League 2023 in Switzerland on Friday, only one week after becoming the new world champion.
Neeraj Chopra’s last throw, which measured 85.71m, was his best throw of the competition. Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic took the top spot with 85.86m. A national record-setting 89.94 meters is Neeraj Chopra’s best throw.Neeraj Chopra’s winning streak for the 2023 campaign was also broken by the outcome. Prior to winning a historic gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, the Indian javelin throw ace had won the Diamond League legs in Doha and Lausanne before the Zurich competition.

Neeraj Chopra began his competition on a clear night at the Letzigrund Stadium, the same place where he won the 2022 Diamond League title the previous year.Neeraj Chopra managed an 85.22m with his fourth try after fouling his second and third attempts, moving him up to second behind Jakub Vadlejch, who recorded an 85.86m with his fourth throw.
Chopra was entered into the three-way sixth-round shootout with Germany’s Julian Weber, the current European champion, and Jakub Vadlejch, the silver medalist from Tokyo 2020.Neeraj Chopra sprinted in to throw an 85.71m after Vadlejch committed a foul, falling just 0.15m short of Vadlejch’s record distance. Julian Weber produced a strong 84.92m.
In the Zurich Diamond League 2023, Neeraj Chopra earned the following scores: 80.79m, No mark, No mark, 85.22m, No mark, 85.71mFor participating in each Diamond League leg, athletes receive points rather than medals. At the conclusion of all legs, the best six competitors in each event will advance to the Diamond League Final in Eugene in September.Prior to the Zurich tournament, Neeraj Chopra had already guaranteed his spot in the championship round.
Zurich Diamond League 2023 menβs javelin throw results
Position | Athlete | Best Throw |
---|---|---|
1 | Jakub Vadlejch (CZE) | 85.86m |
2 | Neeraj Chopra (IND) | 85.71m |
3 | Julian Weber (GER) | 85.04m |
4 | Oliver Helander (FIN) | 83.65m |
5 | Edis Matusevicius (LTU) | 81.62m |
6 | Anderson Peters (GRN) | 81.01m |
7 | Roderick Genki Dean (JPN) | 79.93m |
8 | Andrian Mardare (MDA) | 79.13m |
9 | Dawid Wegner (POL) | 77.66m |
10 | Timothy Herman (BEL) | 76.24m |
Murali Sreeshankar finishes fifth in long jump, qualifies for final
In contrast, India’s Murali Sreeshankar placed seventh in the men’s long jump competition in Zurich with a best leap of 7.99m.This was the third Diamond League match of the year for Murali Sreeshankar. The Indian long jumper placed third in Paris and sixth in Lausanne, both outstanding finishes.
Sreeshankar qualified for the Diamond League Final in 2023 thanks to his performance in Zurich, which also netted him four qualifying points. After Neeraj Chopra, Sreeshankar is presently the first athlete from India to qualify for a Diamond League Final.

After the first round of jumps, Murali Sreeshankar, who has a personal best of 8.41m, took the lead over Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou, the current Olympic, world, and Diamond League champion, with an outstanding first jump of 7.99m.The Indian, however, fell to second in the second round after Tentoglou’s 8.04m. Tajay Gayle of Jamaica seized the lead in the fourth round with an 8.07m leap.
Sreeshankar dropped to fifth place in the fifth round as a result of jumps of 8.05 meters by US competitor Jarrion Lawson and 8.04 meters by Czech jumper Radek Juska, depriving the Indian of one more opportunity to move up the leaderboard. Sixth-jump attempts were limited to the top three competitors.
Tajay Gayle and Jarrion Lawson were eventually edged out of first place by Miltiadis Tentoglou, who scored a crucial 8.20m on his penultimate leap.
Murali Sreeshankarβs marks at Zurich Diamond League 2023: 7.99m, 7.96m, No Mark, 7.96m, 7.93m
Position | Athlete | Best Jump |
---|---|---|
1 | Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE) | 8.20m |
2 | Tajay Gayle (JAM) | 8.07m |
3 | Jarrion Lawson (USA) | 8.05m |
4 | Radek Juska (CZE) | 8.04m |
5 | Murali Sreeshankar (IND) | 7.99m |
6 | Simon Ehammer (SUI) | 7.97m |
7 | Christopher Mitrevski (AUS) | 7.81m |
8 | William Williams (USA) | 7.81m |
9 | Carey McLeod (JAM) | 7.60m |
10 | Mattia Furlani (ITA) | 7.53m |