Commonwealth Games javelin throw gold medalist Neeraj Chopra qualifies for Diamond League Final in Zurich

Zurich: India’s star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has qualified for the prestigious Diamond League Final, which will be held in Zurich on 30 August. [caption id=“attachment_4436927” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Earlier this year, Neeraj Chopra clinched gold at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. AP[/caption] Reigning Commonwealth Games champion Chopra finished fifth in the Rabat (Morocco) leg of the Diamond League series earlier this month, with a best throw of 83.32m. He collected four Diamond League points from there and made it to the Final along with five other athletes. Besides Chopra, current world champion Johannes Vetter, Olympic champion Thomas Rohler, 2017 IAAF Diamond League champion Jakub Vadlejch, German champion Andreas Hofmann and Estonian record holder Magnus Kirt have also qualified. Before Rabat, Chopra has taken part in two other Diamond League Meetings. He finished fourth while collecting five points in Doha on 4 May and sixth, with 3 points, in Eugene (USA) on 25 May. The 20-year-old’s first competition saw him finish fourth in the Doha Diamond League with a throw of 87.43 metres. The 14-leg Diamond League Meetings are prestigious events competed among elite athletes of the world. The top eight finishers in each leg are also awarded prize money, with the eighth-place finisher getting $1000 and the winner pocketing $10,000. For the Diamond League Final in Zurich and Brussels, the prize money has been enhanced with the eighth-place finisher getting $2,000 and the winner pocketing $50,000.