India’s Neeraj Chopra produced his best throw of the 2026 season to finish runner-up at the Lausanne Diamond League in Switzerland on Friday.
Chopra registered a superb 88.05m effort, falling just nine centimetres short of Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who claimed the top spot with 88.14m. Grenada’s Anderson Peters finished third with 86.69m.
The Indian star began the competition with an 83.54m throw before making a major improvement with his second attempt. His 88.05m effort not only moved him into medal contention but also marked his return to the 88m range.
Pathirage responded in his following attempt, producing 88.14m to regain the lead. Neither athlete could improve on those distances during the remaining rounds, leaving Chopra with silver.
The result is an encouraging development for Chopra, who had endured a relatively difficult beginning to his 2026 campaign. He had finished fourth at the Doha Diamond League and second at the Commonwealth Games, but had not crossed 86m in either competition.
Although the Lausanne result extended his wait for a Diamond League victory, Chopra’s season-best performance provides a significant boost ahead of the upcoming competitions.
Pathirage continued his impressive run of form to secure another major victory, while Chopra’s 88.05m throw underlined his ability to challenge for the top honours once again.
