Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra produced his best throw of the season on Saturday but finished second to Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage at the Lausanne Diamond League. Chopra threw 88.05m in his second attempt on Friday, but Pathirage responded with 88.14m in the third round to win by just nine centimetres.

Grenada’s Anderson Peters finished third with a best throw of 86.69m.

Chopra’s effort was his best since he threw 88.16m to win the Paris Diamond League in June 2025. It was also an improvement on the 85.83m he threw while winning silver at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The result moves Chopra into the top five in the Diamond League standings, with the top six in the men’s javelin qualifying for the season-ending final in Brussels on 4-5 September.

Pathirage and Peters have already secured their places in the final, with 23 and 22 points respectively. The final Diamond League meeting featuring men’s javelin will take place in Zurich on 27 August.

Chopra Beaten by Nine Centimetres

Chopra began with a throw of 83.54m before producing his 88.05m effort in the second round. He followed that with 83.72m before recording a no-mark in the fourth round. He skipped his fifth attempt and finished with 82.15m in the sixth.

Pathirage had initially thrown 87.06m before Chopra moved into first place with his second attempt. But the Sri Lankan responded in the third round, sending his spear 88.14m to reclaim the lead.

“I didn’t realise it was only nine centimetres, it was really close, but I’m happy with the 88-metre throw,” Chopra said. “To be honest, it didn’t feel like it went 88m because I felt very relaxed. I tried really hard and later focused on my technique.With every competition, I feel that I’m coming back. The crowds in Lausanne and Zurich understand athletics and really support you, so it’s always good to compete here.”

The result means Pathirage has beaten Chopra in all three of their meetings this season.

He previously finished ahead of the Indian in the Doha Diamond League, where Chopra was fourth, and at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, where Chopra won silver behind Pathirage.

Pathirage Continues Remarkable Season

Pathirage, 23, has emerged as one of the leading javelin throwers this season. He has won the Doha and Rome Diamond League meetings as well as the Commonwealth Games title, where his winning throw measured 89.75m.

He also became the first Sri Lankan to breach 90m with a season-leading 92.62m in Rome in June. Pathirage has won eight of the nine competitions he has entered this season.

World champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago finished fourth in Lausanne with 83.71m, while US world bronze medallist Curtis Thompson was sixth with 78.13m.

Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic finished seventh with 77.32m.

For Chopra, the second-place finish marks another step in his return from a lower-back injury that kept him out until the Doha Diamond League.

He had said after winning silver in Glasgow: “I can’t say my fitness is there like before. But I’m getting there slowly.”

Chopra won the Diamond League final in 2022 and finished runner-up in 2023, 2024 and 2025. He will have another chance to strengthen his position in the standings at the Zurich Diamond League on 27 August, before the season-ending final in Brussels.