Forced to delay the start of his season due to an injury, Indian javelin throw ace Neeraj Chopra finished fourth in the Doha Diamond League event here on Friday. The 28-year-old Chopra produced a best of 85.69m in his third attempt, which placed him fourth in the end in his season-opening event. Chopra has been hampered by a back injury which he sustained before the World Championships in Tokyo in September 2025.

He was competing here for the first time after finishing eighth in the World Championships. He has been training in Switzerland since May 25 after a rehabilitation stint in Turkiye. Rising Sri Lankan star and world leader Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage won the title in the star-studded field with a throw of 88.68m, while two-time world champion Andersen Peters of Grenada was second with 86.38. American Curtis Thompson, who won a bronze in the Tokyo World Championships, was third with 85.99m. Chopra, however, breached the 82.61m qualifying distance set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.