Doha, Qatar – Neeraj Chopra, the reigning Olympic champion men’s javelin thrower, made his Doha Diamond League He made his debut in style, winning the competition in the Qatari capital.
India’s Chopra recorded a world-leading distance of 88.67 meters in her first throw of the javelin final on a windy, moonlit Friday night at a packed Qatar Sports Club Stadium.
The 25-year-old had his sights set on breaking the elusive 90-meter barrier in the World Athletics season-opening track and field meet.
“Doha is famous for the 90-meter throw and hopefully tomorrow will be a great result for everyone,” Chopra told reporters ahead of Friday. However, unusually strong winds got in the way of Chopra and other competitors as they repeatedly struggled to pass the 85-meter mark.
Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic finished second with a best of 88.63 meters, while Grenadian world champion Anderson Peters finished third with a best of 82.62 meters.
Back to winning ways 🤩
olympic and @Diamond_League champion @Neeraj_chopra1 throws a world-leading 88.67m to win the men’s javelin throw at the @dldoha 👏#DiamondLeague #DohaDL pic.twitter.com/l5DBeEvdZ0
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) May 5, 2023
The breeze didn’t get in the way of Sha’Carri Richardson’s ferocious 10.76-second sprint in the women’s 100-meter race. The American sprinter was visibly delighted with the result, as she beat the world leading time of 10.82 seconds set by Jamaican Shericka Jackson, who finished second in 10.85 seconds. Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith (10.98 seconds) finished third.
Richardson’s extended celebrations, complete with whoops, flicking his dreadlocks and leaping across the track, endeared himself to the crowd seated near the finish line.
After the race, the 23-year-old said: “I found my peace on track and I’m not going to let anything or anyone take that away from me.”
African party in the stands
Qatar’s multinational expat community flocked by the thousands to see possibly the last outdoor sporting event of the season before the country’s typically hot and humid summer begins.
More than half of the nearly 15,000 spectators were from Qatar’s African community, with Ethiopia and Kenya leading the way.
Evoking memories of their presence in the stands during their men’s soccer team’s glorious performance at the FIFA World Cup in December, Moroccan fans took over a block of the stadium and dyed it red in anticipation of Soufiane El’s performance. -Bakkali.
Matching the Ethiopian presence in the track events of the competition, the largest contingent of supporters was from Ethiopia. Families turned out in large numbers as children of all ages ran back and forth down the aisles while older members of the crowd kept their eyes glued to the track.
Emotions ran high among the Ethiopian crowd, particularly during the men’s 3,000m race when Morocco’s El-Bakkali briefly threatened to crash the East African country’s party. It was not to be and Lamecha Girma (7:26.18) led the Ethiopian top three with Selemon Barega (7:27.16) and Berihu Aregawi (7:21.61) behind him.
Picking up where you left off 🫡
ruling world and @Diamond_League champion Faith Kipyegon runs a world-leading time of 3:58.57 to secure victory in the women’s 1500m.#DiamondLeague #DohaDL pic.twitter.com/qjVni2gkQZ
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) May 5, 2023
Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon, the reigning women’s 1500m world and Olympic champion, stamped her authority on the race despite a close race from Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji. Kipyegon finished with a world leading time of 3:58.57, while Welteji took second in 3:59.34.
The local hero’s disappointment
There was also no shortage of support for the host country’s star athlete, Mutaz Barshim. The mere presence of the Olympic high jump champion and warm-up routines were enough to get the crowd excited. Barshim endeared himself to the crowd with his trademark languid walk around the competition area and his sunglasses that stay on even during nighttime competitions. However, he had some disappointing jumps and finished third.
JuVaughn Harrison of the USA won the competition, while Sanghyeok Woo of South Korea finished second.
It’s full “moon” here in Doba 🤩 @ktnago13
Congratulations 🤩🥇 https://t.co/t0PSKkgujW— Doha Diamond League (@dldoha) May 5, 2023
Moon overcomes ‘mental challenge’
Katie Moon of the USA cleared a leap of 4.81m to win the women’s pole vault event a day after admitting her biggest challenge as an athlete was her own mind.
Moon said pole vaulting is “a very mental sport” while speaking at the pre-tournament press conference.
“It’s easy to believe in yourself when everything is going well, but (to believe) when you’re struggling a little bit, that’s the biggest struggle for me so far,” he said.
Other results:
Men’s 200m: Fred Kerley (United States)
Men’s 800m: Slimane Moula (Algeria)
Women’s 100 meter hurdles: Jasmine Camacho Quin (Puerto Rico)
Men’s triple jump: Pedro Pichardo (Cuba)
Men’s 400m Hurdles: Rai Benjamin (USA)
Women’s 3,000 meter steeplechase: Winfred Yavi (Bahrain)
Women’s 400m: Marileidy Paulino (Dominican Republic)
Men’s Discus Throw: Kristjan Ceh (Slovenia)
Strength and Accuracy: The Discus Diamond League Champion @CehKristjan 🥇 Congratulations 🤩 pic.twitter.com/BVg4F3BRKS
— Doha Diamond League (@dldoha) May 5, 2023
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