Doha, Jun 20: Forced to delay the start of his season due to an injury, Indian javelin throw ace Neeraj Chopra finished a creditable fourth in the Doha Diamond League event here.
The 28-year-old Chopra produced a best of 85.69m in his third attempt, which placed him fourth in the end in his season-opening event on Friday night.
Chopra has been hampered by a back injury which he sustained before the World Championships in Tokyo in September 2025.
He was competing here for the first time after finishing eighth in the World Championships. He has been training in Switzerland since May 25 after a rehabilitation stint in Turkey.
Rising Sri Lankan star and world leader Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage won the title in the star-studded field with a throw of 88.68m, while two-time world champion Andersen Peters of Grenada was second with 86.38.
American Curtis Thompson, who won a bronze in the Tokyo World Championships, was third with 85.99m.
This was the first time Chopra has not finished in top-two in a Diamond League event in the last four years.
He has been in top two in all the DL meetings he had participated since finishing second in Stockholm in June 2022 with a throw of 89.94m.
His first DL win came in Lausanne in August the same year. In Doha, he won the title in 2023, before finishing second in 2024 and 2025.
Chopra, however, breached the 82.61m qualifying distance set by the Athletics Federation of India for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
He was earlier named in the 32-member Indian team for the Glasgow CWG (July 23 to August 2).
Chopra began with a foul and was placed fourth after his second round throw of 82.77m, which sealed his 2026 Commonwealth Games berth.
He did even better in his third attempt, sending his spear to 85.69m, and jumping up one place to third.
But once the 23-year-old Pathirage took the lead with his fourth round throw of 88.68m, Chopra was pushed down to fourth place.
Pathirage, who has been in the form of his life this season, was at the fourth spot at the halfway stage, after modest throws of 82.62m, 84.63m and 80.53m.
But he proved why he is the hottest javelin thrower this season with his fourth round effort of 88.68m, which was followed up by 84.47m and 81.35m.
This was his second DL win. He had won the title in Rome earlier this month with a monster throw of 92.62m which is the currently the world leading distance.
He became only the fourth Asian and 28th overall to breach the coveted 90m mark.
He has had two more 89m-plus throws this season. He had come into the Doha DL after winning the prestigious Golden Spike meet in Ostrava, Czechia, with a throw of 86.57m.
It was Pathirage’s back to back Diamond League win, having won in Rome earlier.
“2026 has been a very good season so far, but I wasn’t able to get a massive throw today. However, I will keep trying my best and I’m glad I had a win today. I’m happy in this Doha Diamond League, it was one of my dreams to compete here as the first ever Sri Lankan in the Wanda Diamond League circuit,” Pathirage said.
For Chopra, the lengthy injury-forced absence from competition affected his rhythm, and he could not replicate his stunning performance here last year, when he breached the coveted 90m mark with a throw of 90.23m, while finishing second.
It was only the third meeting between Chopra and Pathirage and their first on the Diamond League stage.
The head-to-head record now stands 2-1 in favour of the Sri Lankan.
Chopra won gold in the NC Classic which he hosted in Bengaluru in July 2025, while Pathirage had finished third with 84.34m.
In the Tokyo World Championships last year, Chopra ended a disappointing eighth while Pathirage finished seventh 84.38m. (PTI)
