Neeraj Chopra Secures Spot in Diamond League Finals in Brussels
Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra has successfully made his way into the Diamond League Finals, which are set to take place in Brussels on September 4 and 5. Remarkably, Neeraj reached this six-man final despite sitting out three of the five Diamond League events, including the Zurich meeting that occurred on August 27.
In Zurich, Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, the Commonwealth Games champion, showcased an impressive performance, clinching victory with a throw of 92.07 meters. This throw, his second-best of the season, was only slightly shorter than his personal best of 92.62 meters achieved at the Rome Diamond League in June.
Neeraj’s journey in the Diamond League season included a strong showing where he finished second in the Lausanne event on August 21 with a throw of 88.05 meters, marking his best performance of the season. Earlier in the season, he participated in the Doha Diamond League, finishing fourth with a best throw of 85.69 meters. Overall, he ended with a total of 12 points, securing his sixth place in the standings.
Points in the Diamond League are awarded to the top eight finishers, ranging from eight points for the winner to just one for eighth place. The top six athletes with the highest accumulated points qualify for the finals, with ties resolved by looking at the best performance of the season.
From Kenya, Julius Yego managed to secure his spot in the final by finishing fifth in Zurich with a throw of 81.66 meters, despite not qualifying in the Commonwealth Games.
Qualified Athletes for Diamond League Finals (Men’s Javelin)
- Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (Sri Lanka) – 39 points
- Anderson Peters (Grenada) – 35 points
- Keshorn Walcott (Trinidad and Tobago) – 23 points
- Curtis Thompson (USA) – 20 points
- Julius Yego (Kenya) – 13 points
- Neeraj Chopra (India) – 12 points
Rumesh Pathirage topped the qualification standings with 39 points from his performances this season, where he excelled by winning four of the five meetings, except for the one in Rabat where he finished second. In Zurich, he dominated the competition, starting strong and finishing with a remarkable throw of 92.07 meters, highlighting his consistency this year.
The 23-year-old Sri Lankan has had an outstanding season in 2026, with multiple throws exceeding 90 meters and a total of seven beyond 88 meters, including five above 89 meters. As he sets his sights on gold at the upcoming Los Angeles Olympics, Rumesh will certainly be a fierce competitor in the Diamond League Final.
Anderson Peters, a former world champion from Grenada, secured second place in Zurich with a season-best throw of 86.93 meters, while Poland’s Dawid Wegner took third with a throw of 85.16 meters.
For Neeraj, who has been carefully managing his competition schedule following a back injury from last year’s World Championships, the Diamond League Finals will serve as a valuable preparation ahead of the Asian Games next month. In a notable event, India’s Rohit Yadav delivered a personal best of 87.68 meters at a meet in Bhubaneswar. He hasn’t participated in any Diamond League events this season but is one to watch in the upcoming Asian Games.
