Doha, June 15: After recovering from a back injury, India’s star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is set to kick off his 2026 athletics season at the Doha Diamond League on Friday. This event marks his return after nearly nine months away from competition. Neeraj last participated in the World Athletics Championships held in Tokyo in September 2025.
In Doha, Neeraj will compete alongside several top throwers, giving an early indication of his form. This year is crucial, featuring the Commonwealth Games and other major events. The Doha meet is the seventh stop of the 2026 Diamond League season, culminating in the finals scheduled for September 4 and 5 in Brussels.
Neeraj’s participation was confirmed when he was temporarily included in India’s 32-member athletics team for the Commonwealth Games 2026. Doha has been a successful venue for the Indian athlete, as he prepares for his fourth consecutive Diamond League meet there. Neeraj clinched the Doha Diamond League title in 2023 with a throw of 88.67 meters and secured second place in 2024 with a throw of 88.36 meters. Last year, he set a national record with a throw of 90.23 meters at the same venue, finishing second behind Germany’s Julian Weber.
Initially, Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem was on the entry list but later withdrew. Sri Lanka‘s Rumes Tharanga Pathiraja has emerged as a strong contender. The 28-year-old Neeraj may face tough competition from Pathiraja, who recently achieved a remarkable throw of 92.62 meters at the Rome Diamond League, making him the current world leader and placing him eighth on the all-time world list. This performance has positioned him as the second-best Asian javelin thrower after Arshad Nadeem’s Olympic record of 92.97 meters.
Other notable athletes in the competition include current world champion Keshorn Walcott from Trinidad and Tobago, two-time world champion Anderson Peters from Grenada, and former world champion Julius Yego from Kenya.
Strong competitors also include USA’s Pan American Games gold medalist Curtis Thompson, silver medalist at the Olympics and World Championships Jacob Wadleigh from the Czech Republic, and Ukraine’s Artur Felfner and Egypt’s Ahmed Sameh Mohamed Hussein.
Men’s Entry List:
– Neeraj Chopra (India)
– Artur Felfner (Ukraine)
– Ahmed Sameh Mohamed Hussein (Egypt)
– Rumes Tharanga Pathiraja (Sri Lanka)
– Anderson Peters (Grenada)
– Curtis Thompson (USA)
– Jacob Wadleigh (Czech Republic)
– Keshorn Walcott (Trinidad and Tobago)
– Julius Yego (Kenya)
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