Neeraj Chopra Finishes Second in Diamond League Final 2025 as Julian Weber Wins Maiden Title

India's two-time Olympic medal winner Neeraj Chopra suffered heartbreak at the Diamond League yet again, as the javelin thrower managed a second-place finish in the event that saw Germany's Julian Weber end up on top of the standings. 

Chopra was lying third till the fifth round following his opening throw of 84.35m before his final effort of 85.01m took him to the second spot, overtaking 2012 London Olympics gold winner Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago who ended third with 84.95m. 

Defending champion Anderson Peters of Grenada was fourth with 82.06m. Neeraj was hoping to regain the trophy he had won in 2022, but ended up finishing second for the third time after 2023 and 2024. 

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Rare Off Day For Neeraj Chopra

Chopra was not his usual self as he began with 84.35m and then followed it up with 82m and a foul.

He was at third spot at the halfway stage, and he fouled his fourth and fifth attempts before coming up with a 85.01m effort in his last throw.

"This was not too bad. But we are getting very close to the world championships, so I still need to throw a little bit further. There were a few things that went well, but still, there were the things which did not go that well," Chopra said after the event.

Chopra said everything "will be different" in Tokyo during the World Championships, set to be held from September 13-21.

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Weber's Dominant Showing

Weber achieved a season world leading throw of 91.57m, his personal best, in his second attempt. He began with 91.37m effort, and after that it was a one-man show in the seven-man field.

None of Weber's rivals could even come near his mark, as his best effort of the day was over 6m more than that of Chopra. The German had a foul, 83.66m, 86.45m and 88.66m after his second throw.

Weber's effort was also his third 90m-plus throw of the season as well as his career. He had breached the coveted 90m mark with a 91.06m throw while winning the Doha DL title on May 16.