Neeraj Chopra to start the season with Doha Diamond League, starting May 5

Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will start the season with a star-studded Diamond League event on May 5 in Doha.

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Neeraj Chopra, who had achieved a personal best of 89.94m during the silver medal at the Diamond League event in Stockholm, is currently training in Turkey and will be there till May 31. Due to injury, this Indian superstar did not play in Doha 2022 Diamond League where Anderson Peterson won the title with a distance of 93.07 meters which was the fifth-longest distance in history. World Championships bronze medalist Jakub Vadlejch had finished second with a personal best effort of 90.88m.

Apart from this star trio, the Doha event includes European champion Julian Weber of Germany, former Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago (personal best 90.16m), former world champion and 2016 Olympic silver medalist Julius Yego of Kenya (personal best 92.72m). Meter) will also present challenges in the tournament.

Neeraj Chopra, the first Indian to win an Olympic gold medal in track and field, has his eyes set on achieving the target of 90 meters this year. Chopra said on the Diamond League website, "While last year was a good year for me with a new personal best, world silver medal, and the win of the Wanda Diamond League, this year brings new opportunities. My goal for this summer is the World Championships, alongside the Asian Games and the defense of my Wanda Diamond League title. I'm also getting closer to the 90m mark, so it would mean a lot for me to break that barrier."

Neeraj Chopra, who received good support during the Diamond League tour last year, opened up on how it has affected him. "I'm always overwhelmed by the warm support I get from Indians across the world and in Qatar that is particularly special, so I'm looking forward to opening my 2023 Wanda Diamond League season in Doha alongside a group of incredible athletes, in front of a passionate crowd."

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After creating history in 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics, Neeraj Chopra won silver at the 2022 World Championships in the US where Anderson Peterson won gold. However, he did not get to defend the gold medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games which he had won in the 2018 event due to injury. Neeraj Chopra, however, recovered from injury to win the Diamond League Finals in Switzerland. The Diamond League 2023 season will begin on May 5 at the Qatar Sports Club in Doha and conclude with a two-day final in Eugene, USA.