Aug 28, 2026, 14:28 IST
India’s javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has qualified for the Diamond League Finals in Brussels on September 5, even though he competed in only two Diamond League meetings this season.The final standings were updated after the last Diamond League meeting in Zurich on Thursday. Chopra finished sixth in the standings with 12 points after securing second place in Doha on June 19 and Lausanne on August 21.The top six athletes in the men’s javelin standings qualify for the Diamond League Finals.This season had 14 Diamond League meetings, but men’s javelin was part of only five of them. Chopra competed in just two because he was recovering from a lower back injury that has troubled him since September last year.The injury delayed his return until the Diamond League meeting in Doha.Chopra was not fully fit at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, where he won the silver medal with a season-best throw of 85.83 metres. He later improved that mark to 88.05 metres at the Lausanne Diamond League.The Diamond League Finals will be held over two days in Brussels on September 4 and 5. The men’s javelin final is scheduled for September 5.The winner of each event will receive a trophy and at least USD 30,000 in prize money, while the eighth-place finisher will receive USD 1,000. If men’s javelin is selected as one of the Diamond+ disciplines, the winner’s prize will increase to USD 60,000.
Rumesh Pathirage heads into finals as favourite
Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage finished at the top of the standings with 39 points after competing in all five Diamond League javelin events.The 23-year-old won four events and finished second in one. He also produced the best throw in Zurich on Thursday with 92.07 metres, his second throw beyond 90 metres this season after his 92.62-metre effort in Rome.Grenada’s Anderson Peters finished second in the standings with 35 points. He was runner-up in Zurich with a throw of 86.93 metres.Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott ended third with 23 points, followed by USA’s Curtis Thompson with 20 points and Kenya’s Julius Yego with 13 points.Germany’s Julian Weber, the only other athlete to cross 90 metres this season with a throw of 90.40 metres at the European Championships in Birmingham, did not compete in any Diamond League meeting because of injury and will miss the finals in Brussels.
