Neeraj Chopra makes history, becomes first Indian to win Diamond League

The victory also helped Neeraj Chopra to qualify for the Diamond League finals in Zurich next month.

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra made athletics history in Lausanne on August 26, 2022 becoming the first Indian to win a Diamond League event.

The 24-year-old javelin thrower who won the silver at the World Championships in the USA last month — also a first for the country — opened with an impressive 89.08m and that turned out to be the winning throw in the end.

The victory also helped Chopra to qualify for the Diamond League finals in Zurich next month.

Chopra, who skipped the recent Commonwealth Games in Birmingham with an injury, had three valid throws (85.18 in second and 80.04 in sixth) in the event after passing his third and fifth attempts.

Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch, the Tokyo Olympic silver medallist who began as the top seed in Lausanne with a season best of 90.88m, finished second 85.88 while American Curtis Thompson was third with 83.72.