Highlights
- India's Neeraj Chopra, competing for the first time since an injury-hit 2025, finished fourth with 85.69m
- Grenada's Anderson Peters was second (86.38m), American Curtis Thompson third (85.99m)
- Chopra's throw secured his place in India's squad for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games
- This was only the first meeting between Pathirage and Chopra on the Diamond League stage
SRI LANKA's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage held off a strong field to win javelin gold at the Doha Diamond League on Friday (19), while India's Neeraj Chopra finished fourth on his return from a long injury layoff.
Pathirage, 23, took the lead with a fourth-round throw of 88.68m and held on for his second Diamond League win in a row, having also won in Rome earlier this month with a world-leading 92.62m.
He started modestly, with throws of 82.62m, 84.63m and 80.53m leaving him fourth at the halfway stage. His 88.68m effort in round four turned the contest, and he followed it with 84.47m and 81.35m.
"2026 has been a very good season so far, but I wasn't able to get a massive throw today," Pathirage said. "However, I will keep trying my best and I'm glad I had a win today. I'm happy in this Doha Diamond League, it was one of my dreams to compete here as the first ever Sri Lankan in the Wanda Diamond League circuit."
Grenada's two-time world champion Anderson Peters took second with 86.38m, while American world bronze medallist Curtis Thompson was third with 85.99m.
Chopra, competing in his season-opener after a back injury forced him to delay his start to 2026, finished fourth with a best of 85.69m. The 28-year-old began with a foul, then threw 82.77m in round two — enough on its own to meet the 82.61m qualifying mark set by the Athletics Federation of India for the Commonwealth Games.
India's Neeraj Chopra celebrates with the gold medal on the podium during the victory ceremony for the men's javelin throw event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. (Photo: Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images
He improved to 85.69m in round three, moving up to third, before Pathirage's fourth-round throw pushed him back down to fourth.
First time Chopra finishes outside top two
It was the first time in four years that Chopra had finished outside the top two at a Diamond League meeting. He had remained in the top two at every Diamond League event he entered since finishing second in Stockholm in June 2022, winning his first Diamond League title in Lausanne later that year.
In Doha, he won the title in 2023 and was runner-up in both 2024 and 2025 — last year clearing 90.23m, his only contest with Pathirage being limited to two previous meetings before Friday.
His back injury dates to before the World Championships in Tokyo in September 2025, where he finished eighth. He has been training in Switzerland since 25 May, following a rehabilitation stint in Turkey.
Friday's result means the head-to-head record between the two now stands 2-1 in Pathirage's favour. Chopra won their meeting at the NC Classic in Bengaluru in July 2025, where Pathirage was third. At the Tokyo World Championships, Chopra finished eighth and Pathirage seventh.
Elsewhere in Doha, reigning world javelin champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago finished seventh.
(with inputs from agencies)
