The Indian javelin thrower last competed in the 2023 Asian Games. Kishore Jenna will also be in action in Doha, making his Doha Diamond League debut.
Neeraj will start the 2024 season in the Doha Diamond League
Neeraj Chopra will return to action in the all-important Olympic year on May 10 when he competes in the Doha Diamond League.
Olympic champion Neera Chopra will begin her 2024 athletics season at the Doha Diamond League meet in May.
Chopra is also the current world champion in the men’s javelin throw and will become the first Indian athlete to win the Diamond League in 2022.
The Doha Diamond League is an annual series of athletics competitions — spanning several disciplines — held throughout the year. Athletes earn points from each series in their respective events in an attempt to qualify for the season-ending Diamond League Finals.
Neeraj Chopra finished second in the Doha Diamond League last season, finishing behind Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Jakub Vadlejcz of the Czech Republic in the final.
The two are set to fight each other on May 10 at the Qatar Sports Club in Doha. Former world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada will also competea. Chopra beat both Vadlejch and Peters in Doha Diamond League last season.
Chopra’s compatriot Kishore Jenna will also be in contention in the men’s javelin event in Doha. He will make his debut in the Vis Diamond League. Both athletes were last in competitive action at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, where Chopra defended her title and Jenna won silver.
European champion Julian Weber, representing Germany, World Championship finalist Oliver Hellander of Finland, Japan’s Roderick Genki Dean, Asian Championship gold medalist are also in Doha’s starting line-up.
“This year, my personal goal is to defend my Olympic title, but breaking the 90m barrier would also mean a lot to me. The Doha meeting, with better situations and great atmosphere, is a accurate advantage to get my season off to a great start,” Neeraj Chopra told the Diamond League website.
He will be up against world-class competition from Jakub Vadlejcz and Anderson Peters in May as he begins his bid to reclaim the Diamond League title. Neeraj is the reigning world and Olympic champion in men’s javelin and is the first Indian athlete to become a Diamond League champion.
In fact, there will be two Indians here as Kishore Kumar Jena, who won a silver medal at the Asian Games and reached the World Championship final, will also compete with Neeraj. Kishore also qualified for the Paris Olympics.
“I have always been overwhelmed by the warm support I have received from Indians across the world and in Qatar which is particularly special. I feel fortunate that so many people have come to support me and I hope I can repay their faith with a good performance,” added the 26-year-old.
The Doha Diamond League 2024 series begins on April 20 in Xiamen, People’s Republic of China, and the final will be held in Brussels in September. The Doha leg is the third leg of the series.
Bopanna-Ebden reached the final of Miami Open
Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden continued their winning streak at the Miami Open as they advanced to the men’s doubles final on Thursday evening.
Bopanna and Ebden beat Spain’s Marcel Granoller and his Argentinian partner Horacio Zeballos 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the title fight. The top-seeded Indian-Australian pair will face second-seeded Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek in Sunday’s final.
Bopanna and Ebden, who won the Australian Open title earlier this year, are enjoying a good week on tour after failing to defend their titles in Indian Wells. Bopanna moved to second in the doubles rankings after a quarter-final loss at the Dubai Championships and a round-of-32 exit at the Indian Wells Masters, but a semi-final win here would help the Indian recovery the top spot when the rankings are updated. On Monday.
What’s up today?
Badminton: Four Indians in Madrid Masters quarter-finals including PV Sindhu (Sindhu at 7:30 pm, other Indians from 5:30 pm)
What happened yesterday?
PV Sindhu reached the quarter finals of Madrid Masters
Sindhu will be joined by MR Arjun/Dhruv Kapila (Men’s Doubles), Tanisha Crasto/Ashwini Ponnappa (Women’s Doubles) and Sumit Reddy/Sikki Reddy (Mixed Doubles).