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Neeraj Chopra will miss the June 19 Doha Diamond League due to a back injury, as top javelin stars including Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage compete at the Mazzraty Doha Meeting
India’s javelin throw ace Neeraj Chopra (AFP)
Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is set to miss the Doha Diamond League on June 19 as he continues to recuperate from a back injury in Switzerland.
The 28-year-old from Haryana, who won gold and silver medals at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics respectively, began his Diamond League campaign in Doha last year and crossed the 90m mark.
Neeraj Chopra is currently in Bienne, Switzerland, for a 47-day off-season training camp with his long-time physiotherapist Ishaan Marwaha and coach Jai Choudhary, as he prepares for this year’s Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
Who Will Be Competing In Doha?
The world’s best, including Sri Lankan world leader Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who set a national record of 92.62m to win the Diamond League meeting in Rome on June 4, will compete at the Qatar Sports Club alongside Paris Olympics gold medallist Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan and reigning world champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago.
In a field packed with talent, the trio will be joined at the Mazzraty Doha Meeting by a host of stars, including former two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medallist Anderson Peters of Grenada, and world bronze medallist Curtis Thompson of the USA.
The precedent has already been set for standout performances. Twelve months ago, the stadium erupted as 2021 Olympic champion Chopra threw beyond 90m for the first time, setting a national record of 90.23m. However, in one of the greatest javelin competitions of all time, Julian Weber of Germany responded with 91.06m on his sixth and final attempt to claim victory with a world-leading mark and personal best at the time.
Pathirage, the first Sri Lankan male javelin thrower to reach a World Athletics Championships final, finished seventh in 2025 and is regarded as an exciting young talent who will compete in Doha for the first time.
“Competing against the world’s best athletes is a dream come true for me and I’m incredibly excited to line up in Doha where we’ve witnessed many memorable javelin competitions over the years,” said the 23-year-old former cricketer, who made his Diamond League debut in Rabat in May.
“I’m in a good place right now both physically and mentally and I’ve got big goals ahead. The conditions in Doha are great for javelin throwers and if everything falls into place we can expect to witness more incredible performances.”
Former world champion and Olympic silver medallist Julius Yego of Kenya, and Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, a former Olympic and world silver medallist, complete the field.
The Mazzraty Doha Meeting is the seventh stop of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League. The series features 15 of the most prestigious events in global track and field across four continents and began in Shanghai/Keqiao on May 16. It will conclude with a single final held over two days in Brussels on September 4-5.
(With inputs from Agencies)
About the Author
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for over a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket conten…Read More
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