India's javelin sensation Neeraj Chopra fell agonisingly short of the Diamond League title, missing out by just one centimetre in the season finale held in Brussels on Saturday.
The 26-year-old delivered his best throw of 87.86m in the third attempt, a hair's breadth behind Grenada's Anderson Peters, who took the crown with an 87.87m effort in his first throw.
Chopra, the reigning Olympic champion and 2022 Diamond League winner, finished as runner-up for the second consecutive year, showing consistency despite battling injury.
Germany’s Julian Weber secured third place with a best throw of 85.97m, as the top three maintained their positions throughout the competition.
Peters, a two-time world champion, walked away with the prestigious Diamond League trophy and a cash prize of USD 30,000. In contrast, Chopra earned USD 12,000 for his second-place finish, concluding his 2024 season on a competitive yet bittersweet note.
Chopra’s best throw of the day fell short of his season’s best of 89.49m and his personal best of 89.94m.
His series of throws included 86.82m, 83.49m, 87.86m, 82.04m, 83.30m, and 86.46m. While consistent, the elusive 90m mark remained out of reach, partly due to a groin injury that has troubled him throughout the season.
Despite only securing one international victory this year, at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland, Chopra’s performance across the season kept him in contention.
He had earlier finished second in two Diamond League events, in Doha and Lausanne, earning him a place in the grand finale.
The Haryana athlete remains one of India's brightest athletic stars, having added a silver to his Olympic tally in Paris after claiming gold in Tokyo. With a groin injury affecting his quest for greater distance, Chopra is expected to consult doctors soon to recover ahead of future competitions.
In another notable result for Indian athletics, Avinash Sable, the national record holder in the 3000m steeplechase, made his debut at the Diamond League final. However, his ninth-place finish with a time of 8:17.09 capped a disappointing season.
The 2024 Diamond League final marked the first time that two Indians participated in the finale, symbolising the growing presence of Indian athletes on the world stage.
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