Neeraj Chopra finishes second in Doha Diamond League
Doha, May 10: Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra finished second at the Doha Diamond League meeting javelin throw event as his big final effort of 88.36m fell short by two centimeters of Jakub Vadlejch's winning effort here on Friday.
The 26-year-old Chopra trailed Czech Republic veteran Vadlejch -- who won the title with his third round throw of 88.38m -- all through the competition.
Chopra made a last ditch effort but his final round throw fell 2cm short of Vadlejch's mark as the Indian superstar failed to defend the title he had won won last year .
Two-time world champion Anderson Peters took the third sport with a best throw of 86.62m.
Kishore Jena's Diamond League debut ended in disappointment as he was eliminated after three rounds of throws, with 76.31m being his best. He began with a 75.72m, then fouled his second effort, before coming up with 76.31m to be at ninth after three throws each by all the 10 competitors.
The 28-year-old Jena has a personal best of 87.54m, a performance that fetched him a silver medal in the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, but it was not his day on Friday.
Vadlejch had won a silver in the Tokyo Olympics and a bronze in the 2023 World Championships, the two events in which Chopra had won gold.
Chopra had won the 2023 Doha Diamond League with a throw of 88.67m, ahead of Vadlejch (88.63) and Peters (85.88m).
The next Diamond League meeting which has men's javelin as a discipline will be in Paris on July 7.
At each DL meeting, athletes are awarded 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 points for ranking first to to eighth respectively. The top six javelin throwers will compete in the Diamond League Finals in Brussels on September 13-14 and the winner will lift the DL champion's trophy.
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UP CM Adityanath orders strict monitoring of police's infra projects
Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath has stressed the importance of maintaining quality and adhering to deadlines in the construction of police lines, transit hostels, and training institutions under the home department.
Chairing a meeting at his official residence on Thursday, the chief minister directed that these projects be reviewed regularly at various administrative levels to ensure progress, according to an official statement.
Adityanath emphasised that a secretary-level official from the home department should conduct weekly reviews, while the additional chief secretary should conduct fortnightly reviews.
He added that monitoring responsibilities should also extend to district, range, and zonal police officers.
Highlighting accountability, the chief minister ordered a monthly third-party audit by technical institutes for all projects exceeding Rs 50 crore. This audit should include on-site verification and photographic evidence submitted alongside the report, the statement said.
Adityanath also underscored the need for experienced professionals in the construction process, suggesting the involvement of retired engineers or proficient professionals from reputed technical institutions, if necessary.
He further directed that no changes should be made to the approved project design after work has begun, except under unavoidable circumstances and with prior approval from the authorities.
For high-rise buildings, the chief minister instructed that elevators be made mandatory and a dedicated corpus fund be established for their maintenance.
Reviewing budget allocations and project progress zone-wise, Adityanath expressed his commitment to improving housing facilities for field officers.
Multi-storey residential buildings are being constructed in police lines for this purpose, as per the statement.
The chief minister pointed out that districts like Sambhal, Hapur, Chandauli, Auraiya, Amroha and Shamli currently lack permanent police lines, and their construction is underway to enhance operational efficiency.
He also said a transit hostel with four blocks at Aligarh Police Line will be completed by April 2025.
The State Firefighting Training College in Unnao and residential and non-residential facilities for the Veerangana Uda Devi Women Police Battalion in Lucknow must see accelerated progress, he directed the officials concerned.
Adityanath also called for the timely completion of significant projects, including doubling the capacity of police training facilities in Moradabad, Meerut, Gorakhpur, and Sitapur.
The chief minister issued similar instructions for establishing new PAC battalions in Gautam Buddh Nagar and Shamli, and for constructing forensic labs in Ayodhya and residential police training schools in Meerut and Badaun for the women PAC Battalion in Gorakhpur.
He further directed the authorities to take strict action against contractors failing to meet contractual obligations, including issuing notices and blacklisting, if necessary.
