Neeraj Chopra finishes second in Diamond League Final
Eugene (US) (PTI): Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra failed to defend his Diamond League champion's title as he finished second with a modest performance of 83.80m here on Saturday.
The 25-year-old Chopra struggled in the windy conditions in the grand finale at the Hayward Field as he fouled his two attempts. His best throw of the day came in the second attempt. His series read foul, 83.80m, 81.37m, foul, 80.74 and 80.90m.
This was his first below 85m throw of the season. He had qualified for the DL Finals at the third spot. He had won the 2022 DL Finals in Zurich with a throw of 88.44m.
Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic became the Diamond League champion for the third time with a best throw of 84.24m which came in his sixth and final attempt. He was leading the six-man field from the beginning following his first round effort of 84.01m.
Vadlejch, who won bronze in Budapest Worlds and silver in Tokyo Olympics behind Chopra, had also clinched the DL title in 2017 and 2018 also.
This was the same venue where Chopra had finished second in the 2022 World Championships.
The Indian, who has a personal best of 89.94m, won two individual DL meetings in Doha on May 5 and Lausanne on June 30 before clinching a historic gold in the World Championships last month.
He had become only the third javelin thrower in history to hold both the Olympic and World Championships crowns after winning the worlds title in Budapest with a throw of 88.17m.
Just a few days after winning the World Championships title, he competed in the Zurich DL leg on August 31 when he finished second behind Vadlejch.
Chopra will now head to the Hangzhou Asian Games beginning later this month where he will defend the gold he had won in 2018 in Indonesia.
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Youth Congress protests suspension of Kuldeep Sengar's life term in Unnao rape case; slams BJP
Mumbai (PTI): Mumbai Youth Congress on Sunday staged a protest against the relief granted to Unnao rape case convict and expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar.
On December 23, the Delhi High Court suspended the jail term of Sengar, who is serving life imprisonment in the Unnao rape case, saying he has already served seven years and five months in prison. His sentence has been suspended till the pendency of his appeal challenging his conviction and sentence in the rape case.
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Protesters alleged the decision exposed the hypocrisy of the BJP's 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' slogan.
Led by Mumbai Youth Congress president Zeenat Shabreen, party workers travelled on a local train from Santacruz to Churchgate, interacting directly with commuters to raise awareness about the case and the alleged protection being extended to the convicted leader.
The protesters criticised the BJP-led government for what they described as shielding those convicted of serious crimes against women and said such actions undermined women's safety and justice.
"The Congress would continue its struggle against any decision that compromised the safety and dignity of women. Protests and public outreach would be intensified to ensure accountability and justice in cases of crimes against women," Shabreen said.
The Supreme Court is slated to hear on Monday a plea by the CBI challenging the Delhi High Court order suspending the life sentence of expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Unnao rape case.
According to the cause list, a three-judge vacation bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices JK Maheshwari and Augustine George Masih is likely to hear the matter.
