New Delhi, June 21: Indian javelin throw star Neeraj Chopra secured fourth place at the Doha Diamond League on Friday. He expressed satisfaction with his performance and is hopeful for even better results in the remainder of the season.
Competing at the Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium, Neeraj achieved his best throw of 85.69 meters in his third attempt. Although he did not make it to the top three, he has qualified for the Commonwealth Games. Sri Lanka’s Ramesh Pathirage topped the event with a throw of 88.68 meters, followed by Anderson Peters at 86.38 meters, and Curtis Thompson, who made it to the top three with a throw of 85.99 meters.
On Saturday, the two-time Olympic medalist told reporters, “I am quite happy with my performance. I participated in a competition after recovering from an injury. This was my first competition of the year. I started throwing quite late, and it takes time to build momentum. Some of my throws were good, while others were not as far as I hoped. The entire season is still ahead, and I expect to throw even better as I continue.”
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) recognized outstanding performances and contributions in various aspects of the sport by distributing awards on Saturday. These awards aim to honor current and former athletes, coaches, technical officials, mentors, state associations, sponsors, and all those whose contributions have played a crucial role in India’s growing success on the global athletics stage.
Notable sprinter and President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), P.T. Usha, along with Gurvachan Singh Randhawa, a gold medalist in decathlon at the Asian Games, former national chief coach Bahadur Singh Chouhan, and Anju Bobby George, who won a bronze medal in long jump at the World Championships, were also honored with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award.’
The first edition of the awards featured ten categories, including Best Athlete (male and female), Best Coach, Best Technical Official, Best State Association, and the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Neeraj praised AFI’s initiative, stating, “I am glad that the Athletics Federation of India provided such an opportunity. Meeting both former athletes and new talent was a wonderful experience.”
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