05 May,2023 09:18 AM IST | Doha | PTI
Neeraj Chopra
Competing for the first time as Diamond League champion, star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will be up against his familiar nemeses in the first of the prestigious meetings series on Friday, as he aims to begin a âlong' season studded with a strong performance.
The 25-year-old Chopra, also a 2022 World Championships silver winner, faces the likes of reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada and Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic in a star-studded field at the Qatar Sports Club.
He could not take part here last year due to lack of "overall fitness and strength".Despite missing the Doha leg, Chopra went on to script history one after the other last year. He became the first Indian Diamond League champion after winning the 2022 grand finale in Zurich in September. A month before that, he became the first Indian to win a Diamond League Meeting in Lausanne.
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Chopra last month said that he was feeling better "physically and technically" at the corresponding point in time, but it will not be easy for him to win the top prize in the season-opening Diamond League here, going by the incredible competition seen here last year. "This is my first competition of the season. It's always good when you have great competitors," Chopra said at the pre-event press conference. "Vadlejch has already thrown 88.38m in Potchefstroom [South Africa, on April 18], so I think tomorrow will see great competition. Also, Doha is famous for 90m throws. So we will see, hopefully tomorrow will have great results for all."
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