Diamond League finals: Who are Neeraj Chopra's competitors?

India's Neeraj Chopra is on his way to achieving the unthinkable as the Tokyo gold medallist is touted as the favourite to clinch first place at the Diamond League 2022 finals. However, there are a few athletes who can prove to be impediments to Chopra. Here's a look at each of them:

Jakub Vadlejch (Czech Republic)

The Czech is perhaps the Indian's biggest competitor at the finals as Chopra's usual mortal enemy Anderson Peters is out after he was attacked in his home country. Jakub Vadlejch's season's best, which is also the thrower's personal best, stands at a mighty 90.88m.

Vadlejch also came second to Chopra at the Tokyo Olympics, but he would want to change that this time out.

Julian Weber (Germany)

Weber has always been an omnipresent figure in javelin events and is known to give tough competition to Neeraj. Ever since the German started throwing the javelin over long distances, his personal bests have only gotten better with time.

Currently, his best stands at 89.54m and can pose as a serious contender for a top-three finish at the Diamond League finals.

Curtis Thompson (USA)

Thompson holds the distinction of throwing the javelin for the third-longest distance amongst Americans. This transpired after he achieved 87.70m at the 2022 American JavFest. While Curtis might not be in contention on paper, the American can very well stage an upset!

Leandro Ramos (Portugal)

One of the lesser known javelin throwers on the list, Ramos shot to fame after clinching silver in the European U-23 Championships in 2021. His personal best stands at an impressive 84.78m which he achieved earlier this season in Doha.

Patriks Gailums (Latvia)

The Latvian has been consistent with his throws and meandered around the late 70 and early 80m marks. Gailums came 7th at the World Athletics Championships 2022m where Chopra clinched the silver. It'll be hard for the 24-year-old Patriks to pose a threat to Neeraj unless the Indian has a howler in Zurich.