Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra will begin his preparations for this year’s Paris Olympics with the first leg of the one-day Doha Diamond League on Friday. India’s reigning world and Asian champion javelin thrower Chopra will face former world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada and Olympic and World Championship medalist Jakub Wells of Czech Republic. On the other hand, Asian Games silver medalist Kishore Jena of India will make his debut in the Diamond League. His personal best is 87.54 meters and Chopra’s best throw is 89.94 meters which is also a national record. European champion Julian Weber of Germany will also stake his claim for the gold medal. After Doha, the second phase of the Diamond League will be held in Morocco on May 19. In Doha, Neeraj will enter track and field as the defending champion, having defeated Wells and Peters in 2023. Chopra said that success depends on teamwork. My coach and physio have contributed a lot. The coach reviews my technique and tells me what works best for me. We also have a strength training specialist. Peters threw 93.07 meters in the 2022 Doha leg. Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Walesa is the 2023 Diamond League champion. He threw 90.88 meters. Chopra has won three different editions of the Diamond League and also won the Champions Trophy in 2022.
