India’s javelin star Neeraj Chopra missed out on winning the Diamond League title, finishing second by just one centimeter in a thrilling final held in Brussels. Despite an impressive throw of 87.86 meters, Neeraj fell short of Grenada’s Anderson Peters, who won the title with a throw of 87.87 meters on his first attempt. This marks the second consecutive year that Neeraj has finished as the runner-up in the prestigious competition.
Narrow Loss for Neeraj After Strong Performance
Neeraj, who had previously won the Diamond League in 2022, gave a tough fight with his best throw coming on his third attempt. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to overtake Peters, the two-time world champion. Germany’s Julian Weber secured third place with a throw of 85.97 meters.
Neeraj’s fans had high hopes after his recent silver medal performance at the Paris Olympics, where he recorded a throw of 89.45 meters. However, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem had outshone Neeraj in Paris, securing gold with a record throw of 92.97 meters.
Fans Angry Over Jio Cinema’s Failure to Stream the Event
The excitement of Neeraj’s fans quickly turned into frustration when Jio Cinema failed to livestream the Diamond League final as promised. The late-night event, which was supposed to be shown on the app and its website, left many fans disappointed and angry. Social media was flooded with critical reactions, with many users trolling the platform for not delivering the highly anticipated event.
Final Standings of the Brussels Diamond League
- Anderson Peters – 87.87m (1st attempt)
- Neeraj Chopra – 87.86m (3rd attempt)
- Julian Weber – 85.97m (1st attempt)
- Adrian Mardare – 82.79m (1st attempt)
- Genke Dean Rodricks – 80.37m (4th attempt)
- Arthur Felfner – 79.86m (5th attempt)
- Timothy Harmon – 76.46m (6th attempt)
Despite this narrow miss, Neeraj remains a source of pride for Indian sports, consistently delivering strong performances on the world stage.
