Athletics
Neeraj Chopra to face Pathirage, Nadeem at Lausanne Diamond League
The Indian javelin star will compete against a world-class field at the Lausanne Diamond League on August 21.
Neeraj Chopra in action during men's javelin final in Glasgow
India's Neeraj Chopra will take on one of the strongest men's javelin fields of the season when he competes at the Lausanne Diamond League in Switzerland on August 21.
The two-time Olympic medallist is set to face reigning Commonwealth Games champion and world leader Rumesh Pathirage of Sri Lanka, Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan, reigning world champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago, former world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada and former Olympic champion Thomas Röhler of Germany.
Also in the field are Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, Germany's Julian Weber, Switzerland's Simon Wieland and American Curtis Thompson, the world No. 2 this season.
Third competition since injury comeback
The Lausanne meet will be Chopra's third competition since returning from a lower-back injury that kept him out of action from September last year.
The 28-year-old began his comeback by finishing fourth at the Doha Diamond League in June with a throw of 85.69m before improving to a season-best 85.83m to claim silver at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
"Although we always want the national anthem to play, I did my season's best and the comeback is going okay. There are other competitions as well. I am happy," Chopra had said after winning silver in Glasgow.
Chopra has enjoyed success in Lausanne previously, winning the Diamond League title in 2022 with a throw of 89.08m before finishing runner-up in 2024 with 89.49m, the fourth-best mark of his career.
Pathirage enters the competition in outstanding form after winning the Commonwealth Games gold medal with 89.75m. The Sri Lankan also owns the best throw in the world this season, having recorded a personal best of 92.62m at the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea in Rome in June, making him the only athlete to surpass the 90-metre mark in 2026.
The Lausanne Diamond League is expected to provide another high-quality test for Chopra as he continues his preparations for the remainder of the international season.