New Delhi: Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finished second at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial meet in Poland on Friday, behind Germany’s Julian Weber. Despite not being at his peak form, Chopra managed to secure the runner-up spot with a final throw of 84.14m in his sixth and last attempt.
Chopra, 27, was positioned third until his final throw lifted him to second place. Earlier attempts included distances of 81.28m and 81.80m in his second and fifth rounds, while the remaining three throws were fouls. The competition took place at the Silesian Stadium under overcast skies following rain earlier in the day.
Julian Weber, who had narrowly defeated Chopra at the Doha Diamond League on May 16 in a thrilling 90m duel, once again claimed the top spot with a strong second-round throw of 86.12m.
Grenada’s two-time world champion Anderson Peters finished third, with a best throw of 83.24m—mirroring his position in Doha.
This event marked the first time Chopra’s best throw in competition fell below 85m since he recorded 82.27m while winning gold at the 2024 Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar. Notably, Chopra had surpassed the 90m mark with a throw of 90.23m in Doha, although Weber clinched victory there with an even longer final attempt of 91.06m.
