Neeraj Chopra produced his best throw of the 2026 season, but he fell just 9 centimeters short of Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage at the Lausanne Diamond League, forcing him to settle for second place.

Neeraj Chopra produced a brilliant throw of 88.05 meters in his second attempt, but Pathirage won the Lausanne event with a throw of 88.14 meters in his third. Anderson Peters of Grenada finished third with a distance of 86.69 meters.

Neeraj Chopra’s Performance

Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra, a two-time Olympic medalist, opened with a throw of 83.54 meters. He then improved his best in his second attempt, reaching a distance of 88.05 meters to take first place. However, Sri Lanka’s rising star Pathirage quickly snatched the lead from Neeraj with a throw of 88.14 meters in his third attempt.

Chopra managed only 83.72 meters in his third throw and fouled on his fourth attempt, while he missed his fifth. However, Chopra failed to achieve the required distance in his final and sixth throws, managing just over 82 meters.

Pathiraage ahead of Chopra for the third time

This was the third time in the 2026 season that Pathiraage finished ahead of Chopra. The Sri Lankan had previously defeated the Indian with a throw of 88.68 meters and won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 2026, ahead of Chopra (who won the silver medal).

The 2026 Diamond League final is scheduled to be held in Brussels, Belgium, on September 4 and 5, 2026. Athletes are scoring points in various stages (meets) to make it to the finals this season, including the recently concluded Lausanne stage.