Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
India’s Neeraj Chopra has finally breached the 90-metre mark during the Doha Diamond League on Friday, May 16. Neeraj, on his third attempt, was able to throw 90.23 m to become the 25th man to go past the barrier. The 27-year-old had come close to breaching the mark a couple of times during his career, with his previous best being 89.94 m at the Stockholm Diamond League 2022.
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Neeraj started with a sensational throw of 88.44 metres to take an early lead in Doha. With this, the 27-year-old qualified for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, with the cut off at 85.5 metres. Peters, who was the bronze medallist in the Paris Olympics, was second with a throw of 85.64, while Keshorn Walcott was third with 84.65. Neeraj’s second was a foul throw, but the rest of the pack was still struggling to reach the level set by the Indian star in his first attempt.
In his third attempt, Neeraj was able to break the barrier with another superb to become the first Indian to reach the mark. As soon as he made the throw, the 27-year-old knew he had got the job done as he was able to get the monkey off his back.
Neeraj finally catches the 90m dragon
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Neeraj had been chasing the 90m dragon for a long time in his career. After the Paris Olympics 2024, where he won the silver medal, Neeraj decided to change his coaching setup. The 27-year-old began work with the legendary Jan Zelezny—the world record holder—in search of a fresh perspective and direction and was able to fully recover from the groin issues that had been affecting him for some time.
Ahead of the Doha Diamond League, Neeraj said that his aim was to go past his previous best.
“I have been training and performing consistently, which forms the basis of achieving the best results on the field. No one can predict what will happen on the day of the competition but I am always looking to go beyond my previous best,” said Neeraj to Al Jazeera.
Neeraj Chopra’s five best throws
1. 90.23m Doha Diamond League 2025
2. 89.94m Stockholm Diamond League 2022
3. 89.49m Lausanne Diamond League 2024
4. 89.45m Paris 2024 Olympics – F
5. 89.34m Paris 2024 Olympics – Q
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
