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India’s star javelin thrower, Neeraj Chopra finished second at the Diamond League 2024 Final in Brussels on Saturday, September 14. Known as the ‘Golden Boy’, Neeraj Chopra missed the gold and top spot by mere one centimetre, to finish second only behind Anderson Peters.
Chopra, who was determined to finish the season on a high after he secured a silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics in August, concluded the year in second place to cap off his remarkable season. On Saturday, Neeraj Chopra began his campaign in finale with a throw of 86.82m, securing second place after Anderson Peters set the bar with a massive throw of 87.87m. Although, his struggles with the groin injury continued before he gave his best throw of 87.86m in the third round.
In the subsequent rounds, the 26-year-old managed to throw 83.30m and 86.46m but remained in second position after his best throw of 87.86m. At the end, he failed to better this mark, finishing just shy of Peters’ 87.87m.
Watch Neeraj Chopra's 87.86m throw at Diamond League 2024 Final in Brussels:
Neeraj Chopra’s performance in 2024
Earlier, Chopra earned a qualification in the Diamond League Final with a second place finish at the Doha Diamond League, throwing a mighty 88.35m. He followed that with a victory at the Federation Cup in Bhuvneshwar with a throw of 82.27m. Coming into the Paavo Nurmi Games with a gold medal winning performance, Neeraj Chopra claimed his maiden gold with 85.97m throw.
Although, he did not feature at the Paris Diamond League as it was not a part of his calendar schedule, he returned to action at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, topping the qualification round with his season best throw of 89.45m. But in the final, he finished with a silver with Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan clinching a gold medal with his 92.97m throw, setting a new Olympic Games record. Although, the Indian athlete then improved on his mark at the Lausanne Diamond League, finishing with yet another season best throw of 89.49m.
How much will Neeraj Chopra earn after his silver medal victory at Diamond League Final?
The two-time Olympic medallist, Neeraj Chopra will receive USD 12,000 (INR 10 Lakh) after he bagged a silver at the Diamond League Final 2024 on Saturday, September 2024. On the other hand, the winner of the Diamond League Final javelin throw event, Anderson Peters will receive the prestigious ‘Diamond Trophy’ along with USD 30,000 (INR 25.16 Lakh) prize money along with a wildcard entry for the World Athletics Championships.
