Diamond League 2023: Is Javelin Throw leader Neeraj Chopra competing in the Monaco leg?

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Diamond League 2023 has reached the ninth leg of the ongoing annual series as the competition heads to Monaco on Friday (July 21). The meeting also includes men's javelin throw. But, is India's golden boy Neeraj Chopra competing in the event?

The Tokyo Olympic gold medallist, who has won at the previous two legs in 2023 Diamond League, had said he was not fully fit following his victory in Lausanne last month and wanted to work on being fit for the World Athletics Championships in August.

The Hungarian capital of Budapest will host the World Athletics Championships from August 19 to 27 with the men's javelin throw competition set to begin with the qualification round on August 25.

After the Diamong League 2023 event in Lausanne on June 30, Chopra had said that his next competition will be in Budapest, meaning that he may miss a couple of international events before that, but had not ruled out Monaco leg entirely.

"Overall, my fitness level was a bit low (in Lausanne). Because of the injury, there was a question mark on my mind also whether I am 100 per cent fit or not, whether I have to push myself or not," Chopra had said during a virtual media interaction.

"I need to improve my fitness, work on it (fitness) through training so that I can give my best at the World Championships and fulfil the dream of winning gold there."

The 25-year-old Chopra, who had also won the season-opening Diamond League in Doha on May 5, had sustained a muscle strain when training and saving himself from injury was his main goal this season with three major competitions being lined up from August to October.

"I have to go with 100 per cent fitness in these events. If I am not physically fit, I will also be not mentally ready. Not only the physical aspect, but the mental aspect is also important," he said. "There is a lot of time now to work on my fitness and be ready for the World Championships and other major events."

Will Neeraj Chopra compete in Monaco Diamond league 2023?

There are still two Diamond League events which have javelin throw on the programme list before the grand finale - in Monaco on July 21 and in Zurich August 31. Although Chopra had said that he has not decided whether he will skip the Monaco leg in June, it is likely that he will miss the event.

"There is still time before Monaco. We will see for up to seven days and decide on whether to compete there or not. If I feel that I am good and up for it, I will go there and compete," Chopra had said earlier, but there was no further update on this.

However, the event entry list for the Monaco leg of the Diamond League 2023 suggests that the defending Diamond League champion Chopra has decided to skip the event to be fit for the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest next month.

The current entry list for the Monaco Diamond League 2023 includes Anderson Peters, Julian Weber, Jakub Vadlejch, Keshorn Walcott, Curtis Thompson, Timothy Herman and Felise Vahai Sosaia.

The overall top six athletes after the Monaco and Zurich leg will earn an entry to the final. Chopra currently tops the leaderboard, having claimed 16 Diamond League points after winning two legs. So, that should be enough to earn him place in the grand finale in Eugene, USA, on September 16-17.

How to watch Monaco Diamond League 2023 in India?

Catch all the action of the 2023 Monaco Diamond League on July 21st, 2023, Friday, 11:30 PM IST onwards, LIVE & Exclusive on JioCinema and Sports18 1 SD & HD.