New Delhi, Jun 12 (PTI) Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is set to miss the Doha Diamond League, to be held on June 19, as he is still recuperating from a back injury in Switzerland.
Chopra, who won gold and silver medals at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics respectively, began his Diamond League campaign in Doha last year and breached the 90m mark.
The 28-year-old from Haryana is currently in Bienne, Switzerland, for a 47-day off-season training camp along with his long-time physiotherapist Ishaan Marwaha and coach Jai Choudhary ahead of this year’s Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
The world’s best, including Sri Lankan world leader Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who threw a national record 92.62m to win the Diamond League meeting in Rome on June 4, will line up at the Qatar Sports Club alongside Paris Olympics gold medallist Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan and reigning world champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago.
In a field bursting with talent, the trio will be joined at the Mazzraty Doha Meeting by a host of stars, including former two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medallist Anderson Peters of Grenada, and world bronze medallist Curtis Thompson of the USA.
The precedent has been set for standout performances. Twelve months ago, the stadium erupted in celebration as 2021 Olympic champion Chopra threw beyond 90m for the first time, setting a national record of 90.23m. However, in one of the greatest javelin competitions of all time, Julian Weber of Germany responded with 91.06m on his sixth and final throw to claim victory with a world-leading mark and personal best at the time.
Pathirage, the first Sri Lankan male javelin thrower to reach a World Athletics Championships final, finished seventh in 2025 and is an exciting young talent who will compete in Doha for the first time.
“Competing against the world’s best athletes is a dream come true for me and I’m incredibly excited to line up in Doha where we’ve witnessed many memorable javelin competitions over the years,” said the 23-year-old former cricketer, who made his Diamond League debut in Rabat in May.
“I’m in a good place right now both physically and mentally and I’ve got big goals ahead. The conditions in Doha are great for javelin throwers and if everything falls into place we can expect to witness more incredible performances.” Former world champion and Olympic silver medallist Kenya’s Julius Yego, and Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic, a former Olympic and world silver medallist, complete the field.
The Mazzraty Doha Meeting is the seventh meeting of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League. The series comprises 15 of the most prestigious events in global track and field across four different continents and began in Shanghai/Keqiao on May 16. It concludes with a single final across two days in Brussels in September 4-5. PTI SSC AM SSC AM AM
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