Two weeks after winning the silver medal at the Paris Olympics, star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will resume action at the Lausanne Diamond League meeting on Thursday, seeking to reclaim the Diamond League trophy at the season-ending finale next month.

Nursing a long-standing groin injury, Neeraj claimed the silver medal in Paris on August 8 with an 89.45m throw, having won the gold in Tokyo three years ago. The 26-year-old double Olympic medallist confirmed his participation at the Lausanne meet last Saturday, leaving a decision on a possible surgery after the end of the season.

Neeraj was the Diamond League champion in 2022 and finished second behind Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic in the winner-takes-all Diamond League final in Eugene, US, last year.

This season’s finals will be held in Brussels on September 14. Neeraj needs to finish in the top six of the Diamond League meetings series standings to qualify for the season finale.

There is another Diamond League meeting — in Zurich on September 5 — with the men’s javelin throw event on its roster.

The Indian is currently in the fourth spot with the seven points he garnered after finishing second behind Vadlejch in the Doha Diamond League on May 10.

After a busy couple of days following the Olympics final on August 8, Neeraj started training in Switzerland, determined to finish the season
on a high despite being restricted by the injury.

“I came to Switzerland for training ahead of the Diamond League. Luckily, I did not aggravate my injury and I took extra care of that.

“I thought of continuing my season like most other athletes. There is one month to go until the season ends. I will go to the doctor in my free time,” he had said last week.

He will be up against a top-class field in Lausanne, Switzerland, with five of the top-six finishers in the Paris Olympics final competing.

Only Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who stunned the athletics world by winning the gold with an Olympic record throw of 92.97m, is missing.

Nadeem, currently sixth in the standings with five points, had finished fourth in the Paris Diamond League on July 7 with a throw of 84.21m.

That was the only Diamond League meeting, as well as the only event he took part in, apart from the Olympics, this season.