Neeraj Chopra to return in Diamond League action

Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Neeraj Chopra is all set to compete in his maiden Diamond League finals event to be held in Zurich on Thursday and Friday. He qualified for the finals after a massive 89.08m throw at the qualifiers meet held in Lausanne on August 26, becoming the first Indian in history to do so. 

The 24-year-old javelin thrower was out with an injury and could not take part in the Commonwealth Games 2022 held in Birmingham. The Diamond League qualifier was his first event after recovering from the injury. 

Also read:Watch: Neeraj Chopra’s history-making javelin throw at Diamond League

According to reports, Chopra is the favorite for this event as world champion Anderson Peters is out with injuries sustained following an assault on a boat. Chopra will face stiff competition from Jakub Vadlech of the Czech Republic. He, however, had beaten Jakub in both the Tokyo Olympics and the Diamond League qualifiers. 

What is the Diamond League? 

Diamond League is an elite-level track and field competition organized by the World Athletics. It has 32 fields and follows a championship-style model where athletes earn points in a 13-series competition to qualify for the finals in each of the disciplines. Winners from each field get crowned the Diamond League Champion.

Also read:Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra wins Lausanne Diamond League title

Winners of each field will receive prize money of $30,000 and a trophy. They will also become wild card entrants to the 2023 World Athletics Championship to be held in Budapest. 

How can Indians watch the Diamond League? 

The javelin throw event where Neeraj Chopra will be competing will take place on Friday, September 8. It is slated to start at 11:50 PM IST (8:20 local time). 

For cable and DTH viewers, the Diamond League Finals will be live telecast on Sports 18 1 and Sports 18 1 HD channels in India. 

Those who want to stream it online in India can watch the finale on Voot Select. However, to stream the event on Voot Select, users will require a subscription as the broadcast will be behind a paywall.