Chopra found himself in fourth position after the fourth round, but he managed to unleash a throw of 85.58m in his fifth attempt, keeping him within the top three.In his final attempt, he achieved an impressive 89.49m on Thursday, securing the second spot behind Anderson Peters of Grenada, who threw 90.61m.
The Indian athlete’s performance showed a slight improvement compared to his 89.45m throw at the Paris Olympics just days earlier.
The Diamond League format allows only the top three athletes after five rounds to make the final attempt, and Chopra’s ability to stay calm under pressure, thanks to Yego’s guidance, proved instrumental in his success.
“(Anderson) Peters threw 90m, my body didn’t feel good but the fighting spirit was nice today. I really liked my comeback. In the last throw I didn’t think too much, just gave my best,” Chopra told the host broadcaster in the mixed zone, as quoted by PTI.
“In the first throw, I thought I will do this, I will do that but in the last throw, I did not, also Julius Yego said ‘relax, you will throw far’. I tried to relax,” he added.
Yego finished sixth with an effort of 83m.
Chopra described the competition that day as “strange,” admitting that he didn’t feel fully prepared when he began.
“…in the beginning I did not think I will throw very far but in the end it was good,” he said.
Asked how much more would he compete this season, the Indian said, “May be two or one competition and then finish the season. I am not sure, maybe Brussels (Diamond League finale).”
Chopra’s second-place finish on Thursday earned him seven points, bringing him to 15 points and tying him with Weber for third place in the Diamond League standings.
Peters moved into the top spot with 21 points, while Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch, who finished seventh with a throw of 82.03m, holds second place with 16 points.
The Diamond League finals this season will take place in Brussels on September 14, and Chopra needs to finish in the top six of the series standings to qualify.
Despite dealing with a long-standing groin injury, Chopra secured a silver medal at the Paris Olympics on August 8, adding to his historic gold from the Tokyo Games three years ago.
Looking ahead to next year, Chopra stated that his main goal is to regain full fitness.
“First goal, go to the doctor and make my groin 100 percent fit and also I will be technically better and try to throw far again,” he signed off.
