Olympic gold has led others to believe they can also win: Neeraj

Neeraj Chopra, India's first and freshly crowned world javelin champion, could not achieve his twin ambitions of a 90m throw and retaining the Diamond League Final trophy as he finished second in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday night.

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India's 25-year-old Olympic champion could not go beyond the 83.80m he achieved in his second try as hitting top form repeatedly, that too in conditions where the others in the elite field too struggled to find distance, is a tough ask.

Chopra, who nailed the world title at Budapest last month throwing 88.17m, finished in the second spot at a venue where he won silver in the 2022 world championships. Czech Republic's Jakob Vadlejch, a consistent performer this season, won the diamond-topped trophy and the winner's prize of $30,000 after being the only thrower to cross 84m.