The Indian star ended sixth in the standings
New Delhi: Indian javelin throw star Neeraj Chopra has qualified for the Diamond League Finals in Brussels on September 5 despite competing in only two of the five javelin events in the prestigious one-day series.
Chopra collected 12 points after finishing runner-up in the Doha and Lausanne legs on June 19 and August 21 respectively. He ended sixth in the standings after the series concluded in Zurich on Thursday.
The top six in jumps and throws qualify for the Finals, with an additional athlete eligible through a national or global wildcard. The winner in Brussels will receive a minimum $30,000, which could rise to $60,000 if men’s javelin is selected as a Diamond+ discipline.
The 28-year-old returned to competition this season after recovering from a lower-back injury that had troubled him since September last year. He won silver at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games with a season’s best 85.83m before improving to 88.05m in Lausanne. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage topped the standings with 39 points after winning four of the five javelin legs.
He threw 92.07m to win in Zurich, his second 90m-plus effort of the season.
Chopra is also seventh in the current Road to Ultimate Championships standings and is in contention for the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest from September 11-13. The final list will be announced on September 6.
