Neeraj Chopra to kickstart his season in 2023 in Doha Diamond League

By India Today Sports DeskOlympic javelin champion Neeraj Chopra will begin his season in 2023 at the Doha Diamond League on May 5. He will join a star-studded field in men’s javelin which includes world champions Anderson Peters and Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Jakub Vadlejch.

Neeraj Chopra, who won the Diamond League Trophy in 2022 and became the first Indian athlete to do so, is currently training in Turkey and will continue to hone his skills there until May 31.

The Doha Diamond League is one of the 14 single-day meetings of the season and the final will be held in September in Eugene, USA — with the venue becoming the first outside Europe to host a Diamond League final.

Chopra, who has a personal best of 89.94m which he achieved while finishing second at last year’s Stockholm Diamond League meeting. The Indian star missed the Doha Diamond League due to an injury while Anderson Peters finished first with a throw of 93.07m, the 5th longest in history.

Apart from Neeraj, Peters and Vadlejch, the Doha Diamond League will also see European champion Julian Weber (GER), the Olympic and world fourth-place finisher with a best of 89.54m; former Olympic champion and Trinidad & Tobago national record holder Keshorn Walcott (90.16m); and former world and Commonwealth champion and 2016 Olympic silver medallist Julius Yego, the Kenyan record holder (92.72m).

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem and Germany’s Johannes Vetter were not named in the initial start list.

NEERAJ OUTLINES 2023 TARGETS

Neeraj Chopra has made his targets clear for 2023, saying he is targeting the World Championships and the Asian Games apart from the defence of his Diamond League trophy. Neeraj won the silver in World Championships last year.

“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 defence of my Wanda Diamond League title,” Neeraj said, as quoted by Diamond League Doha.

“I’m also getting closer to the 90m mark, so it would mean a lot for me to break that barrier,” he said.