Javelin thrower Neeraj snaps own record at Diamond League

Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who clinched gold at the recently-concluded 21st edition of the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, missed on a bronze medal but shattered his own national record by finishing fourth at the season-opening leg of the IAAF Diamond League here last evening.

The 20-year-old clocked a throw of 87.43 m in his second attempt to break his previously owned national record mark of 86.48 metres.

Neeraj, who had earlier won CWG Gold with a throw of 86.47m--his previous season's best, posted a throw of 81.17m in his first attempt.

Olympic champion Thomas Rohler bagged gold with his season's best effort of 91.78 m, while world champion Johannes Vetter (91.56m) and Andreas Hoffman (90.08m) settled for silver and bronze respectively.

Neeraj, who hails from Khandra village of Panipat, had earlier not only added his name in an elite list of Indian athletes to clinch gold in their CWG debut but also became the first Indian javelin thrower to clinch gold in the 2018 edition.

Neeraj also became the second javelin thrower overall to pick a medal in the prestigious quadrennial event, with the first being Kashinath Naik, who took home bronze in the 2010 Delhi edition of the Games.

The javelin thrower's gold was also India's fifth-ever medal in athletics at the Commonwealth Games.

Milkha Singh (440 yards, 1958), Krishna Poonia (women's 4x400m and women's discus, 2010) and Vikas Gowda (men's discus, 2014) had only won gold previously.