Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem won’t be in action but javelin enthusiasts can expect a riveting contest between six of the 12 finalists of the Paris Olympics during the Lausanne Diamond League on Thursday night.
All of them have something to prove after missing out on the top step of the podium at Stade de France a fortnight ago.
Three years ago, Neeraj Chopra returned to a grand reception in India after winning a historic gold at the Tokyo Olympics. This time, the Olympic silver medallist stayed put in Europe, his first stop after the French capital being Magglingen in Switzerland. He posted a video of him training in a gymnasium a few days after the Olympic final. A long-term groin injury affected his runway speed at the Olympics but despite that, Chopra believes he can target becoming the Diamond League Champion in Brussels a month from now.
The next stop for men in the javelin throw, after Lausanne, will be Zurich on September 5 followed by the final in the Belgian capital over a week later, where only the top 6 based on points accrued over the season will get an entry. Chopra is joint-fourth with seven points received for finishing second at Doha in May.
Two years back, he became the Diamond League Champion for the first time and finished second behind Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch last year.
Putting aside the disappointment for not being able to defend his Olympic gold, Chopra has found the motivation to finish the season on a high.
In a media interaction last week, he spoke about making corrections in his technique suggested by coach Klaus Bartonietz.
“In the next month, I need to work on the line of the javelin while releasing it. I was throwing the javelin slightly inwards at Paris. My arm speed was really good. Coach Klaus Bartonietz was telling me that if the line of the throw was right, I could have got a few more metres at the Paris Olympics. So in the next month, I will work on the line of the javelin release,” Chopra had said.
Not only has he put on hold the celebration for winning his second Olympic medal, but Chopra is also prepared to wait a while before taking a break to get a medical solution for his groin injury.
“After Tokyo, I felt I should have continued my season, like other athletes from around the world do. Luckily, in Paris, the groin injury that has hampered me for many years, did not exacerbate, so I can continue my season. I will finish the season while keeping my groin as safe as possible and then return to India. After that, I will decide on getting treated for the groin injury,” Chopra said last week.
Strong field
While the Indian will be a favourite to win at Lausanne, the competition will be tough. Grenada’s Anderson Peters is capable of producing big throws towards the end of a competition even if he starts gingerly. In the Olympic final, he had three throws over 87 metres, with a best of 88.54 metres. Peters, a two-time World Champion, is second on the Diamond League standings with 13 points, just one less than leader Vadlejch.
The Czech is another competitor Chopra will have to contend with. He will be looking to atone for missing an Olympic medal by four centimetres. The defending Diamond League champion has been one of the most consistent throwers over the past three years and has the range to touch the high 80-metres zone.
If Vadlejch is a threat, so is Germany’s Julian Weber. He was pushed down to sixth spot at the Olympic Games but is no lightweight having won the Paris leg of the Diamond League. Add to the mix Julius Yego, the 2015 World Champion, who at 35 has gained a second wind. A fifth-place finish at the Olympics, nearly a decade after his last major medal, makes him one to watch out for.
The Olympics was a rare instance when Chopra struggled to put together a series of high-quality throws. He responded to Nadeem’s gold-medal-winning second round effort of 92.97 metres with his season-best of 89.45 metres but fouled the rest of his attempts — losing balance and crossing the line twice.
When he was competing in Paris, Chopra said 60 to 70 percent of his focus was on not aggravating the groin injury. With the Diamond League title in his sights, he will have to refocus on getting the big throws. He missed out on gold, but can get his hands on a glittering diamond-shaped trophy in less than a month’s time.
TV Time: Lausanne Diamond League, Javelin Throw: 12.12 am (Friday) Jio Cinema
