Stars of 2022: Neeraj Chopra
The men's javelin Olympic champion finally picked up his first ever Diamond League title in 2022, becoming the first Indian athlete ever to win the Diamond Trophy.
It took Neeraj Chopra nine attempts to win a Diamond League meeting, but when he finally did, there was no stopping the Indian javelin star.
One of the undisputed stars of his discipline, Chopra began the 2022 season with no shortage of major titles to his name. He was crowned Asian Champion in 2017, Commonwealth champion in 2018 and Olympic champion in 2021, yet one thing had always eluded him: a victory on the athletics most prestigious one-day circuit. In seven Diamond League appearances, he had never managed to finish higher than second place.
As he returned to Wanda Diamond League action last summer, Chopra was determined to set the record straight. Following a long injury setback in 2019, the Indian’s star had been rising steadily once again and after his gold medal in Tokyo, he was among the firm favourites for both the Diamond League and world titles in 2022.