Neeraj finishes sixth in Eugene Diamond League

Eugene (US), May 26 

Top Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finished sixth in the Diamond League Series 3rd leg with a below-par effort of 80.81m. The 20-year-old Indian had shattered his own national record with a throw of 87.43m while finishing fourth in the 1st leg in Doha last month.

But at the Prefontaine Classic, he was not at his best as he had three foul throws. Neeraj began with a 76.95m effort and then came up with 80.81m in the second throw, which turned out to be his best of the day. He had 80.26m in his third attempt before fouling the final three throws.

The top three spots in the eight-man field were, as expected, taken by throwers from Germany. Reigning Olympics champion Thomas Rohler unleashed the biggest throw ever witnessed at the venue with a best effort of 89.88m under cool and breezy conditions.

Reigning world champion Johannes Vetter took the silver with a best throw of 89.34m while Andreas Hofmann took the third spot with a best effort of 86.45m. — PTI