Doha Diamond League: Neeraj Chopra to lead biggest-ever Indian squad - Preview

Two-time Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra is ready to kickstart his Diamond League season as the first javelin throw event of the 2025 Diamond League season will take place in Doha, Qatar, on May 16th.

Alongside Neeraj, three more Indians, Kishore Jena (Javelin Throw), Parul Chaudhary (3000m Steeplechase), and Gulveer Singh (5000m) will also begin their Diamond League season in Doha.

This will also be a historic Diamond League meet for India, as for the first time, there will be four Indians at a single meet, showcasing the continuous rise of Indian athletes on the global stage.

Neeraj Chopra aims for glory

From an Indian standpoint, the biggest event of the meet will be the men's javelin throw event, as Neeraj Chopra will begin his sixth Diamond League season and the 18th Diamond League meet against the world's best javelin throwers.

He will be aiming to find his 11th consecutive top-2 finish at the Diamond League meet. However, he will face stiff competition from other Olympic medalists in the form of Anderson Peters and Jakub Vadlejch.

On the other hand, Asian Games silver medalist Kishore Jena will also compete at the event, hoping to improve on his season best and breach the world championships qualification mark of 85.50m.

Debut for Gulveer Singh

Gulveer Singh, who has been on an upward graph for the last two years and has recently become the first Indian to go sub-13 minutes in 5,000m, is all set for his Diamond League debut in Doha.

The meet will also offer Gulveer a chance to further improve his national record and test himself against a few of the world's best long-distance runners before heading for the Asian Championships.

The other track athlete for India will be the Asian champion and national record holder Parul Chaudhary, who will kickstart her 2025 outdoor season in Doha.

She will compete in the women's 3000m steeplechase event, which will be her second Diamond League meet after her debut meet in Eugene last year, where she clocked 9:46.74s to finish in 16th place.

However, a tough field awaits her at Doha as all the three medalists from the Paris Olympics will compete at the event, including the Asian champion Winfred Yavi of Bahrain.

Schedule

10:13 PM - Men's Javelin Throw - Neeraj Chopra, Kishore Jena

10:15 PM - Men's 5000m - Gulveer Singh

11:14 PM - Women's 3000m Steeplechase - Parul Chaudhary

Live streaming

All the diamond league events in Doha will be live broadcast on the Diamond League's official YouTube channel.