Lausanne: Neeraj Chopra produced his best throw of the 2026 season but narrowly missed out on the top spot at the Lausanne Diamond League on Saturday, finishing second behind Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage by just nine centimetres.
Chopra began the competition with an 83.54m throw before making a significant improvement with his second attempt. His 88.05m effort briefly moved him into first place and became his longest throw of the season.
However, Pathirage responded immediately. The Sri Lankan produced an 88.14m throw in his third attempt to regain the lead and eventually secure the Lausanne title. Chopra could only manage 83.72m with his next throw before recording a foul on his fourth attempt.
The Indian star skipped his fifth attempt, leaving him with one final opportunity to overtake Pathirage. However, his last throw travelled just over 82 metres, ending his hopes of reclaiming the lead.
Anderson Peters of Grenada finished third with a best effort of 86.69m.
The result marks the third time in 2026 that Pathirage has finished ahead of Chopra. The Sri Lankan had previously beaten the Indian with an 88.68m effort and also secured gold ahead of Chopra at the Commonwealth Games, where the Indian settled for silver.
Despite missing out on victory, Chopra’s 88.05m performance was a major positive. It represented his best mark of the season and showed a significant improvement as he continues to build momentum.
The Lausanne event was also important for Chopra’s Diamond League Final qualification hopes, with the season standings playing a crucial role in determining the athletes who will compete in the end of season finale.
