Avinash, Neeraj to lead Indian challenge at Diamond League Final

Neeraj Chopra and Avinash Sable are the only two participants from India at the final major event of the 2024 outdoor athletic season, the Diamond League Final, scheduled for September 13-14 in Brussels, Belgium.

This will be Neeraj Chopra's third consecutive appearance in the Diamond League Final. He is also a former champion from the 2022 edition and will try to reclaim his title after losing it to Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic last year.

This season, Neeraj has competed in two Diamond League events. First, in Doha, he finished in second place with a best throw of 88.36 meters. Then, at the Lausanne Diamond League meeting last month, he again finished in second place with a best throw of 89.49 meters.

Neeraj earned a combined total of 14 points from these two events and qualified for the Diamond League Final as the fourth-best athlete, behind Anderson Peters (29) of Grenada, Julian Weber (21) of Germany, and Jakub Vadlejch (16) of Czechia.

On the other hand, Avinash Sable, who will be making his debut at the Diamond League Final, has competed in only one Diamond League meeting this year, in Paris.

He had an outstanding performance at that event, finishing in sixth place and setting a national record for the men's 3000m steeplechase with a time of 8:09.91.

Sable was a late addition to the event, as he wasn’t initially qualified. However, after the withdrawal of several athletes, he was given an opportunity to participate in this prestigious competition.

Squad

Neeraj Chopra (Men's Javelin Throw), Avinash Sable (3000m Men's Steeplechase)

Schedule

13th September

Men's 3000m Steeplechase final - Avinash Sable - 12:39 AM IST (14th)

14th September

Men's Javelin Throw Final - Neeraj Chopra - 11:52 PM IST

Live streaming

The Diamond League final will be live-streamed on the official Jio Cinema app or website in India. The fans can also watch all the live action from the event via TV broadcast on Sports18 Network.