Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra gave another sterling performance on Thursday, June 30,  as he clinched a silver medal at the prestigious Diamond League meet in Stockholm and broke his own previous record. In the Diamond League played in Stockholm, Chopra threw 89.94 meters while doing so he broke his own national record, which was made on June 14. Chopra won the silver medal in the Pave Nurmi Games in Turku by throwing the javelin 89.30 meters away. The 24-year-old, who was making his third appearance since that historic Tokyo Olympics gold, made a stunning 89.94m in his first attempt, which was not just his personal best but also a new national record. The throw fell only 6m short of the elite milestone in javelin. His other throws measured 84.37m, 87.46m, 84.77m, 86.67 and 86.84m. Despite the record attempt, Neeraj finished second in the competition, as Andersen Peters, reigning World Champion, finished top of the podium with a 90.31m throw. It was his second 90m throw this season after a monstrous attempt of 93.07 at the Doha Diamond League.

Last month, Neeraj had scripted national record with an 89.30m throw in the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland that helped him finish second in the competition. Chopra has beaten Peters twice this month — in Turku where the athlete from Grenada was third and in the Kuortane Games, also in Finland, where the Indian superstar had won gold with a best throw of 86.69m under wet and slippery conditions. Chopra’s first throw had raised hopes of him scripting history of becoming the first Indian to win a Diamond League event. Nonetheless, he became the second Indian to finish in top-three in a Diamond League competition after discus thrower Vikas Gowda. The 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Gowda, who retired in 2017, had finished in top-three in a Diamond League event four times in his career. He had finished second in 2012 (New York) and 2014 (Doha) and third in Shanghai and Eugene in 2015.