Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra made a triumphant return to competition after a one-month injury lay-off, securing his second consecutive podium finish of the season at the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League on Friday night.
In a stunning display, Neeraj claimed victory in the men's javelin event with a remarkable throw of 87.66m in the fifth round. His outstanding performance surpassed the efforts of European Champion Julian Weber, who managed 87.03m, and World Leader Jakub Vadlejch, who recorded a distance of 86.13m.
Despite a foul in his first attempt, he bounced back with throws of 83.52m and 85.04m in his second and third attempts, respectively. Another foul followed in his fourth try, but he made a stunning comeback in the fifth round with his winning throw of 87.66m. His sixth and final attempt reached a respectable distance of 84.15m.
In the long jump event, Indian athlete Murali Sreeshankar finished fifth overall. He achieved his best jump of 7.88m after five attempts, displaying his talent and competing at a high level.
In a thrilling contest, LaQuan Nairn from the Bahamas emerged as the surprise gold medalist, surpassing the long-standing champion from Greece, Mitliadis Tentoglou. Nairn's remarkable leap of 8.11m outshone Tentoglou's jump of 8.07m, securing him the top spot on the podium. Yuki Hashioka from Japan claimed the bronze medal in the event.
