Barest of Margins: Neeraj Chopra finishes 2nd at Doha Diamond League by 2 cm

As it is one of the most used phrases in Sports, 'barest of margins' came alive at the Doha Diamond League as World Champion Neeraj Chopra missed the top spot by a distance of 0.02m (2 centimeters) on Friday.

The 26-year-old Chopra threw 88.36m in his final throw but failed to overtake the winner Jakub Vadlejch whose best throw was 88.38m on the night.

Starting his season in Doha, Neeraj trailed Vadlejch throughout the event after starting with a no mark in his first throw. Two-time world champion Anderson Peters took the third sport with a best throw of 86.62m.

Chopra had won the 2023 Doha Diamond League with a throw of 88.67m, ahead of Vadlejch (88.63) and Peters (85.88m).

After starting with a no mark, in the second round, Neeraj produced an 84.93 throw to take the second place. He improved to 86.24m in his third throw but Vadlejch consolidated his top position with a throw of 88.38m.

Chopra produced 86.18m and 82.28m in the next two rounds before his final throw of 88.38m.

Usually known for big throws of 90m, Doha witnessed a subdued Javelin Throw as tailwind was absent.

Another Indian in the fray, Kishore Kumar Jena ended his Diamond League debut with a disappointing ninth-place finish and best throw of 76.31m in three attempts.

Jena was eliminated after three rounds of throws as only the top eight performers were allowed two more attempts and then the top three took the last throw.

As both the Indian athletes have secured their Paris Olympic qualification, their main focus will be on gaining more and more competition practice.

After this event, Chopra will compete at home for the first time in three years during the National Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships to be held in Bhubaneswar from May 12 to 15.

Jena will also be taking part in the event. As per the schedule, the men's javelin qualifying round will be held on May 14 and the final will take place on May 15.