India’s Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra had a tough outing at the Diamond League Final in Zurich, finishing second with a best throw of 85.01m. The night clearly belonged to Germany’s Julian Weber, who produced the two best throws of 2025 so far, topping the event with a massive 91.51m effort. Neeraj, returning to action after more than 50 days, looked short of his best and couldn’t quite find his rhythm throughout the competition.
Weber stamped his authority right from the start, opening with a 91.37m throw before bettering it by 14cm on his second attempt. His consistency shone through as he ended up with the four longest throws of the evening, leaving the rest of the field far behind. Neeraj, in contrast, had a mixed series — beginning with 84.35m, followed by 82.00m, then registering three consecutive fouls before salvaging second place with his final throw.
That last effort of 85.01m was just enough to edge past Keshorn Walcott by a slender 6cm. But for Neeraj, it was clear that this was more about shaking off the rust than pushing for peak performance, as this was his first competition since the Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru on July 5. The Zurich result served as both a reminder of his fighting spirit and a marker of the work ahead as he builds toward bigger challenges later in the season.
