Chopra posts season-best 88.05m for second in Lausanne

Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra produced a season-best throw of 88.05 meters to claim second place at the Lausanne Diamond League on August 21, 2026, signaling positive momentum ahead of his title defense at the upcoming Asian Games. In a tight contest, Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage secured victory with a throw of 88.14 meters, edging Chopra by just nine centimeters. Grenada's Anderson Peters took third with a personal-best effort of 86.69 meters, ahead of Trinidad and Tobago's Keshorn Walcott in fourth.

The performance in Lausanne was a significant step forward for Chopra, who has been working his way back from a lower back injury that disrupted his 2025 season. This marked his third competitive outing of 2026, following a fourth-place finish at the Doha Diamond League in June and a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in August. At Lausanne, Chopra opened with an 83.54-meter attempt before producing his best throw of the night, which temporarily took the lead. Although Pathirage ultimately reclaimed the top spot, Chopra expressed satisfaction with his progress.

"I didn't realize it was only nine centimeters, it was really close, but I'm happy with the 88-meter...