File photo of Neeraj Chopra and Arshad nAdeem© AFP

Armand Duplantis and Letsile Tebogo headline a raft of Olympic champions who will descend on Lausanne for the first Diamond League meeting since the end of the Paris Games. Some 18 current Olympic or world champions will be present in the Swiss city for Thursday’s meet, coming just 12 days after the last of the track and field action at the Stade de France. Duplantis defended his gold in France’s national stadium and improved his own world record to 6.25 metres.

In Lausanne, the Swede will take part in a City Event held on an esplanade bordering Lac Leman — better known in English as Lake Geneva — on Wednesday, 24 hours before the main fare at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise.

Duplantis will be up against American Sam Kendricks, the silver medallist in Paris, and also Renaud Lavillenie, the 2012 Olympic champion and former world record holder who failed to qualify for what would have been his home Games.

“It’s the only pole vault event next to a lake,” Duplantis said.

“I love to have it scenic, fun, more like a show. It suits us well. I jumped 6.10m in Lausanne last time and have felt well rested since Paris.

“I think there are still some good jumps in my legs,” said the US-born Swede, who left Paris the day after the event for a “much-needed vacation with my girlfriend to chill as much as I could”.

Tebogo v Kerley

Botswana’s Tebogo will race the 200m on Thursday, the event he won in Paris when he outstripped a Covid-hit Noah Lyles.

The American, a three-time world champion in the distance and the 100m winner in the French capital, has called time on his season.

Tebogo will be up against Fred Kerley, the triple world champion (100m and relay) and 100m bronze medallist in Paris, and his US teammate Erriyon Knighton.

The 21-year-old Botswanan raced to victory in an African record of 19.46sec, a time that took him to fifth on the all-time list.

He also became the first African to win the Olympic 200m metres. The men’s 800m race in this 11th stage of the Diamond League circuit also promises to be a thriller.

Four men in the Olympic final dipped under the 1min 42sec mark for the first time ever.

And four of the top five finishers from the Games will run in Lausanne: Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya, the third fastest man in history, Olympic silver medallist and world champion Marco Arop of Canada, and the fourth and fifth-placed finishers in Paris, American Bryce Hoppel and Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui.

Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen will bid to put the disappointment of his 1500m outing at the Paris Games behind him when takes on a strong field in Switzerland.

American Cole Hocker progressed to an upset victory in Paris, outsprinting world champion Josh Kerr of Britain, American Yared Nuguse and Ingebrigtsen.

The Norwegian finished fourth, left ruing an insanely fast opening 400m that left him vulnerable to a late attack.

Ingebrigtsen did, however, rebound to win the Olympic 5,000m title and now has an immediate chance of redemption over the shorter distance, with Hocker also listed.

There is also a high-quality field assembled in the women’s high jump, Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh up against Australia’s Paris silver and bronze medallists Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson.

Mahuchikh set a new world record of 2.10m at the Paris Diamond League meet and while not reaching those same heights at the Olympics, seems in unbeatable form.

Femke Bol is another athlete on show, competing in the 400m hurdles, in which she won bronze in Paris behind record-setting Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Anna Cockrell.

Olympics 2024: File photo of Arshad Nadeem© AFP

File photo of Arshad Nadeem.© AFP

Having missed out on breaching the elusive 90m mark at the Paris Games, two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra has left that widely debated matter “to the gods”. After all, Chopra has been chasing that milestone for years and the wait got longer when his only legal throw of 89.45m got him a silver at the Paris Olympics earlier this month. A back-to-back medal at the Summer Games was a monumental feat for an Indian athlete but it was way short of Arshad Nadeem’s sensational 92.97m that comfortably secured a historic gold for the Pakistani.

Nursing a long-standing groin injury, Chopra managed to be on the podium and now he will be seen in the Lausanne Diamond League starting August 22.

After a busy couple of days post the Olympic final on August 8, Chopra started training in Switzerland and is determined to finish the season on a high despite being restricted by the injury.

“I need to leave it to gods now,” he said when asked about his target throw in the foreseeable future.

“I Just want to prepare well and see where the javelin goes. There has already been talk about 90m, now I feel just let it be. In Paris, I thought it would happen and it could have happened.

“Now I will give my 100 percent in the next two or three events and see what happens,” he said in a virtual interaction arranged by JSW.

Following the season-ending Diamond League in Brussels from September 13-14, Chopra will consult the doctors on his groin injury with surgery being the most likely option. The 26-year-old has been managing the injury since winning the gold in the World Championships last year.

With Arshad producing an Olympic record throw in the final, Chopra needed to up his game but he said he could not do that because of his physical state.

“I felt I could increase the distance. My two no throws in qualification and final, they were second and third best throws and my season best as well. To increase distance I need to be injury free.

“In my mind I know need to give 100 percent but because of the injury I am not able to give 100 percent. My body and mind stops me from making that extra effort.

“What is most important in training session is throwing sessions which I have not been able to do as much as I would like (due to injury). If you can’t throw regularly then you are not able to work on your technique. I need to throw as much as I can. The rest is all fine,” said Chopra.

He needs to make a few technical tweaks in his game.

“When we run with the javelin there is also lot of strain on groin, when we take cross step. But right now I am not able to tweak my technique. Also my line of the javelin was also not perfect.

“Arc speed was good in Paris but the line was disturbed. If it would be straighter, I could have got two three metres out of it. However, not for once I thought that Arshad’s throw could not be bettered. My mind was ready to push the limits but body was not,” said the champion athlete.

Chopra needs to finish in the top-six of Diamond League Meetings series to qualify for the season finale in Brussels.

“I came to Switzerland for training ahead of Diamond League. Luckily I did not aggravate my injury as I took extra care of that. I thought of continuing my season like most other athletes. There is one month to go for season end. I will go to the doctors in free time,” he said.

We need to spot talent better to become sporting powerhouse 

India finished an abysmal 71st in the Paris medals tally with five bronze and Chopra’s silver.

Asked what India needs to do to become a sporting power, Chopra said: “Overseas, there are more talent spotters. For example I took up javelin I don’t know how, I liked it so I pursued it. But if we try multiple sports and pick the best one on recommendations of an expert that way Indian sport can move forward. We need to spot talent better.

“Also, we can’t just focus on one sport. We need to be good in all sports. I feel the leaders in the medals tally (China, USA, Japan). They all are powerful nations in various fields, sports play a big part as well in lifting the profile of the nation.

“Hope we do well in the next Olympics, and qualify for FIFA World Cup as well. Cricket we already are doing well. There is no dearth of talent, mental, we also need to have more coaches,” added Chopra, who plans to open javelin academies going forward.

Olympics 2024: File image of Arshad Nadeem© AFP

It’s been more than week since Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem pipped Neeraj Chopra of India to claim the men’s javelin throw gold medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. Nadeem broke the Olympic record with a monstrous throw of 92.97m, and followed it up with another 91.79m throw in his final attempt. Defending champion Neeraj, on the other hand, could only manage 89.45m which saw him miss out on gold and had to settle for a silver. Meanwhile, former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has compared the rivalry between Arshad and Neeraj to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

For the unversed, the Border Gavaskar Trophy is a cricket bilateral series played between India and Australia. India have won the last four Border-Gavaskar Trophies, including two back-to-back wins Down Under.

Both teams are set to square off once again later this year when India will be travelling to Australia to play five Tests.

While speaking on his YouTube channel, Basit recalled the Men’s Javelin Throw final at Paris 2024, claiming that Arshad’s rivalry with Neeraj is now even bigger than the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

“I think they are trying to create hype. The whole world knows that India vs Pakistan is on one side and everything else is on the other side. Even Ashes isn’t that big. So, you are going to hear such statements now,” Basit said on his YouTube channel.

Basit even claimed that regardless of the venue, there will always be a full house wherever Neeraj and Arshad compete.

“Arshad Nadeem beat Neeraj Chopra at the Paris Olympics; otherwise, it was a certain gold medal for India. The Indian cricket team has made it clear that they won’t travel to Pakistan, so just conduct a bilateral series of hockey, javelin, or kabaddi between India and Pakistan in some other country, and you will know whether the India-Australia series is bigger or the India-Pakistan match is bigger. When Neeraj and Arshad compete in javelin, the whole world will be in front of the television, and the stadium will be full,” he added.

Nadeem’s gold was Pakistan’s first after 40 years since the men’s team won it in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

India’s Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem are fierce competitors on the field of javelin but off the ground both share a really good bond. The two players hold a lot of respect and love for each other, so much that it remains unaffected by the outcome of the results of the events they compete in, together. In the recently-concluded Paris Olympics 2024, Arshad claimed the gold medal in the javelin throw event while Neeraj bagged the silver. An interview of the duo after the medal ceremony is going viral on social media. In the clip, an anchor of the host broadcaster asked Neeraj about who he would want to play the role if a biopic is made on Arshad. The Indian athlete picks Amitabh Bachchan.

“You should look for a hero with height because Arshad has good height. In India, a young Amitabh Bachchan could have played the role,” Neeraj said.

When Arshad was asked a similar question for Neeraj’s biopic, the Pakistan star said, “You can use Shah Rukh Khan.”

King Khan Neeraj Chopra!

Which Bollywood actor would you cast as Neeraj Chopra in his biopic?

Catch the closing ceremony of the Olympics tonight from 12:30 AM onwards, LIVE on #Sports18, and stream it FREE on #JioCinema #OlympicsOnJioCinema #Javelin #Cheer4Bharat pic.twitter.com/RZ6ZD0K9so

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) August 11, 2024

Neeraj, who won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics, said he couldn’t push himself to his extreme. Chopra fell short of retaining his gold medal in the men’s javelin throw at the marquee event securing silver with a best throw of 89.45 meters.

Speaking at a virtual press briefing, Neeraj said that mentally he was ready but lacked in the physical area. The 26-year-old accepted that his legwork was not how it should have ben during the final.

“I never thought I couldn’t do it… Arshad Nadeem’s previous best was at 90.18 metres which he threw at the Commonwealth Games, and my previous best was 89.94 metres… I couldn’t push myself to my extreme. Mentally I was ready but physically, I was retraining myself. My legwork on the runway was not how it should have been. My efforts were going in vain. My throw immediately after Nadeem’s throw was good because I was extremely positive…,” Neeraj said.

Neeraj also revealed his next competition and said that he will participate in the Lausanne Diamond League, which will kick off on August 22.

“… I have finally decided to participate in the Lausanne Diamond League, which begins August 22,” he added.

(With ANI Inputs)

Pakistan PM Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif hosted a banquet in honor of Arshad Nadeem.© Twitter

Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics, said he couldn’t push himself to his extreme. Chopra fell short of retaining his gold medal in the men’s javelin throw at the recent-concluded marquee event securing silver with a best throw of 89.45 meters. Speaking at a virtual press briefing, Neeraj said that mentally he was ready but lacked in the physical area. The 26-year-old accepted that his legwork was not how it should have ben during the final.

“I never thought I couldn’t do it… Arshad Nadeem’s previous best was at 90.18 metres which he threw at the Commonwealth Games, and my previous best was 89.94 metres… I couldn’t push myself to my extreme. Mentally I was ready but physically, I was retraining myself. My legwork on the runway was not how it should have been. My efforts were going in vain. My throw immediately after Nadeem’s throw was good because I was extremely positive…,” Neeraj said.

Neeraj also revealed his next competition and said that he will participate in the Lausanne Diamond League, which will kick off on August 22.

“… I have finally decided to participate in the Lausanne Diamond League, which begins August 22,” he added.

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won gold with a throw of 92.97 meters, setting a new Olympic record and surpassing Denmark’s Andreas Thorkildsen’s mark from Beijing 2008. Grenada’s Anderson Peters secured bronze with a throw of 88.54 meters.

Earlier, Chopra had achieved a throw of 89.34 meters in the Group B qualification round, his second-best all-time throw. Despite a competitive rivalry with Nadeem, where Chopra led 9-0 in their head-to-head matchups, Nadeem’s throw of 90.18 meters at the 2022 Commonwealth Games exceeded Chopra’s top effort.

Following the failure to defend his gold medal, Neeraj expressed dissatisfaction with his performance and revealed that the last two to three years were not good for him in terms of fitness.

“It was a good throw but I am not that happy with my performance today. My technique and runway was not that good. (I managed) only one throw, the rest I fouled,” Neeraj said according to Olympics.com.

“(For my) second throw I believed to think I can also throw that far. But in javelin, if your run is not so good, you cannot throw very far,” added Neeraj.

The Indian ace javelin thrower, who also is the current Asian Games champion, said that injuries leading to his title defence in Paris made some difference and he will have to work on being injury-free and on his technique.

“The last two or three years were not so good for me. I am always injured. I really tried hard, but I have to work on my injury (staying injury-free) and technique,” the 26-year-old added.