Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra will face off against the likes of Jakub Vadlejch and Anderson Peters in May as he kicks off his bid to regain the Wanda Diamond League title in Doha.
Chopra, 26, is the reigning world and Olympic champion in the men's javelin, and became the first Indian athlete ever to be crowned Wanda Diamond League champion when he claimed the Diamond Trophy in 2022.
He lost that title to Vadlejch last season, and will be keen to make a good start to this year's title tilt when he returns to a happy hunting ground in Doha on May 10th. Chopra beat both Vadlejch and Peters in Doha last season with an impressive 88.67m.
The trio will be joined at the Qatar Sports Club by European champion Julian Weber (GER) - PB 89.54m; World Championships finalist Oliver Helander (FIN) - PB 89.83m; Qatari record holder Ahmed Bader Magour - PB 85.23m; Asian Games silver medallist and World Championships finalist Kishore Jena (IND) - PB 87.54m; Lithuanian record holder and World University Games champion Edis Matusevicius - PB 89.17m; Asian champion and Asian Games bronze medallist Roderick Genki Dean (JPN) - PB 84.28m; Moldovan record holder and Olympic finalist Andrian Mardare - PB 86.66m; and Pan American Games champion Curtis Thompson (USA) - PB 87.70m.
Chopra’s continued excellence has raised the bar for Indian athletes and for the first time in his country’s history, he was joined in the World Championships final by two of his teammates.
“Last year my dream was to win the World Championships, but to have three Indian athletes competing in the final - that shows we’re progressing as a nation,” said the 26-year-old.
“This year, my personal goal is to defend my Olympic title, but it would also mean a lot to me to break the 90m barrier. The Doha Meeting, with good conditions and a great atmosphere, is a perfect opportunity to get my season off to the best start. I’m always overwhelmed by the warm support I get from Indians across the world and in Qatar that is particularly special. I feel privileged that so many people come out to support me and I hope I can repay their faith in me with a good performance.”
The Seashore Group Doha Meeting is the third meeting of the 2024 Wanda Diamond League. The series comprises 15 meetings in total across four different continents, starting with Xiamen on 20 April and concluding with a single final across two days in Brussels (13-14 September). Each of the 14 series meetings will be broadcast globally in a live two-hour programme.
