NEERAJ CHOPRA, KISHORE JENA IN STAR-STUDDED DOHA DIAMOND LEAGUE ENTRY LIST

Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra and Asian Games silver medalist Kishore Jena will represent India in the 10-man javelin field at the Doha Diamond League on May 10. Both Neeraj and Kishore will begin their season at the highest level in the Olympic year in the prestigious leg of the Diamond League meetings. 

Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena will have stiff competition in a world-class field, including former world champion Anderson Peters, and Olympic silver medalists Jakub Vadlejch and Julius Yego. Notably, Germany's Johannes Vetter, who has been battling injuries over the last 3 years, was not part of the 10-man field. Max Dehning, who became the youngest man to throw 90m earlier in the year, will also not compete in Doha.

Neeraj Chopra won the Doha Diamond League last year. He will return to competitive action for the first time since winning Gold in the Asian Games in Hangzhou. The Olympic gold medalist, who finished second in the Diamond League final, will be keen on making a strong start and laying down an early marker in the Olympic year. Neeraj has been meticulously training in the off-season -- the Diamond Trophy winner from 2022 trained in Turkey and South Africa before the start of the season. 

On the other hand, Kishore Jena will be looking to continue the good work from 2023 and put himself in the mix in the Olympic year. The 28-year-old Indian proved his mettle in the Asian Games last year with a personal best throw of 87.54m that earned him a silver medal. 

Notably, Max Dehning is the only man to have crossed the 90m mark in Javelin in 2024. Jakub Vadlejch, who won the silver medal in Tokyo Olympics and the Diamond Trophy in 2023, has a best throw of 87m which he achieved in Potchefstroom in March. India's Shivpal Singh and DP Manu have both thrown in excess of 80m this season, but they will not be competing in Doha. 

DOHA DIAMOND LEAGUE ENTRY LIST 

ATHLETE	COUNTRY	SEASON BEST	PERSONAL BEST
Neeraj Chopra	IndiaÂ	NIL	89.94m
Dean Roderik GenkiÂ	Japan	78.04m	84.28m
Oliver Helander	Finland	NILÂ	89.83m
Kishore Jena	IndiaÂ	NILÂ	87.54m
Andrian Mardare	Moldova	NIL	86.66m
Edis Matusevicius	Lithuana	NIL	89.17m
Anderson Peters	Grenada	80.69m	93.07m
Curtis Thompson	USAÂ	81.09m	87.70m
Jakub Vadlejch	Czech Republic	87.00m	90.88m
Julius Yego	Kenya	81.74m	92.72m

Meanwhile, Neeraj Chopra will be looking to end the long-standing question about the 90m mark. The Olympic medalist said last month that he would ideally want to produce the big throw before he heads into the Paris Olympics, starting July 26. 

Neeraj also said he expects big things from Kishore Jena and that two Indians on the podium in world events will be a big achievement. Jena finished 5th in the World Athletics Championships last year before he won silver in the Asian Games. 

"This might be a big dream-come-true moment for India. From our country, at the Olympics, two people standing on the podium, it will be a huge moment. If there are more than two, then it's even better. At the Asian Games, it happened. If it happens in the Olympics, it will be a huge moment of joy. It will bring a different level of satisfaction for all of us, all of us Indians," Neeraj said in an interaction organised by JSW Sports.

Watch Live TV in English

Watch Live TV in Hindi

2024-05-06T11:41:51Z dg43tfdfdgfd